Heart's Landfill
by Simonkal of Inuy
Summary: Somewhere between Lust & Hate it is quite possible that one may find Love, if they look hard enough. But what will be found, if Love is not what you desire? Two souls in a city of billions, whimper, cry out, and deny, until denial is no longer an option.
1. Chained Hearts

**A/N: As always all characters will be walking the transparent line of OOCness!! Warning: Vulgar language!! **This fic is meant for mature readers. There will be lots of cussing and lemons and almost lemons. That being said, this fic is dedicated to all of my loyal readers that even though they don't like Sess/Rin fics, still read and review every chapter of Confrontation II. This is also to my fans that were left hanging with Truth and Consequences, which is now formally deleted. To all you new readers, stick around; I'm sure you're going to enjoy this ride. This is going to be fun!!!!!

I'm sure that after reading this chapter, more than a few of you will think that you know the plot or have an inkling of what's to come, but trust me, you don't. Remember nothing is ever as simple as it may appear.

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**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership to anyone, but I do thank Rumiko Takahashi for her wonderful imagination.

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**FYI:** I know that in the anime Kagome lives in Tokyo and not Kyoto, but I don't really care, this is an AU fic. I'm not a Kikyo lover, but I try to keep my feelings out it. However, Inuyasha will be bashing her quite a bit in this fic, at least in the beginning, so Kikyo lovers don't read this if it going to make you flame me!!

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**Chapter 1**

_**Chained Hearts**_

"Yes Mom, I got them. They're absolutely beautiful," Kagome stated, trying to sound happy as she glanced over her shoulder at the large bouquet of mixed orchids that she had received earlier in the day.

"Well, it was the least that I could do, today being your 26th birthday and all. I just wish that you were here. We would've gone out to dinner or something, like we normally do."

Cradling the phone between her shoulder and her ear, Kagome sighed lightly and poured herself another glass of wine. "I know, but I couldn't afford to take the time off. I'll try to come home soon, I promise."

It wasn't often that she got to speak with her mother like this. Most of their conversations were rushed because she always had one meeting or another to attend, so she tried to cherish these moments when they did happen.

Her mother, brother, and grandfather lived in Kyoto and, until 7 months ago, so did she. Staring out the window at the Tokyo skyline, she couldn't stop the longing for home that came over her.

Since she had relocated, she'd made sure that she was as busy as humanly possible so that she wouldn't have to think about the ultimate reason why she felt it so necessary to leave the only home she'd ever known.

Perhaps it was the fact that it was her birthday and, for the first time in an extremely long time, she was spending it alone that had her homesick.

"Honey, I understand that you're busy with your work, so you don't have to rush home or anything. Just come home when you can. We all miss you," her mother said, interrupting her thoughts.

"That's what I love about you. You've always been so understanding, Mom."

"I'm your mother, dear. If I weren't, who would be? And you better not let that firm run your life. You have to take time to smell the roses…or should I say Orchids," her mother replied giggling softly, secretly hoping that her daughter understood the importance of what she had just said.

Staring down at the bright red and white lights that raced along the streets far below, Kagome took another slow sip of her red wine and tried not to think too much into what her mother was getting at. She knew she was talking about Kouga, and, if she wasn't talking about him, she was damn sure heading in that direction.

"Mom, I made partner at 25. How can I not work hard? Right now, I don't have time to enjoy life, but I promise you that I will try to get out more often, okay?"

The older Higurashi, sighed and replied, "Sweetie, you know I'm not one to pry, but it's been months, almost a year. I know what Kouga did hurt you, but it's time for you to move on. It's time to forgive and let go. You can't bury yourself in your work all the time."

'_Maybe not, but I can damn sure try,_' Kagome thought as she made her way back over to her marble kitchen counter and poured another glass of wine. _'And… here we go. Back down the __all…__men… aren't… like… Kouga lane,' _she thought sarcastically.

She by no means meant to be discourteous or rude to her mother. She was just tired of hearing the same advice over and over and over…and over. Perhaps that was another reason why she packed up so quickly after the debacle, called her relationship, ended. Had she stayed, she knew she would've heard this on a daily basis.

"Kagome, I know you hate when I bring this up, but no one knows you like I do. I know why you left Kyoto in such a hurry and I understand. But I don't want you there not living the life you deserve. It's time to let it go."

_'Now comes the part about me meeting some nice young man that will make all my troubles and insecurities disappear, miraculously.'_

"Dear, all I'm saying is that sometimes the best way to get over someone is with someone new. I'm sure if you got back out there and started dating again, you'd meet someone that would help you heal. And he'd show you that all men are not the same. Kouga just happened to be one of the very bad…bad apples."

After three glasses of wine and an ear full of mother knows best, Kagome had basically had enough. "Mother, stop it. I don't need anyone to help me get over Kouga. I'm over him and have been for awhile now." Sighing exasperatedly, she continued, "I don't need to meet anyone to make me feel better about myself, I know who I am and what I want. And right now…right now it has absolutely nothing to do with a man…any man."

"Kagome?"

"Mom, thanks for the flowers, but I really have to go. I have 3 briefs that I have to look over for a 10 A.M. meeting." She knew she was rushing their conversation to a close and she knew her mother knew it too, after all this had become more of a routine, hadn't it?

"Alright dear, I won't keep you anymore; just think about what I said."

"Alright, I Love you lots," Kagome stated, almost too enthusiastically.

"Love you too, sweetie," her mom responded.

Not sparing a moment more, Kagome clicked the off button on the cordless phone and tossed it onto the contemporary couch that sat against the far wall.

"It never fails," she mumbled as she turned back to the window and stared down at the cars from her 23rd floor condo. "She always has to bring him up. Just when I've gathered the pieces of my heart, my life and began to glue them back together, she brings him up!" she snapped, to no one in particular, as she reached up and wiped away an angry tear that trailed slowly down her cheek.

Throwing her head back, she gulped down the last of the wine that was in her glass, and wiped away another shameful tear that had the audacity to slip from her tear duct without permission.

Kagome knew she had no reason to be mad at her mother. It was her own fault that her heart was broken. It was her fault that she hadn't paid attention to the signs. It was her fault that she made excuses for him when he would disappear for days on end with little to no believable excuse.

This, all of this, was her fault and she knew it! That's why it hurt so much whenever her mother felt it necessary to remind her of the two years she would never get back!

She was angry, and had been for so long that she'd forgotten how it felt to be genuinely happy about anything. When she went out, she'd put on a mask of peaceful serenity. When she was at work, she did her job and she did it well. But when she was home, away from prying eyes, the mask came off.

Turning back towards the counter, she emptied the rest of the wine into her glass and whispered acerbically, "Happy…fucking…birthday…to me!"

Tossing the empty bottle into the sink, she turned on her heels and stared around her 3-bedroom home, which was purchased for her by the law firm she worked for, when she made partner.

It was empty.

Sure, it was fully furnished and filled with pictures of her family and a few of her friends, but it still felt empty, cold, and desolate.

From the beige colored contemporary couches to the flower filled vases. Even the expensive ass drapes that hung from the huge floor-to-ceiling windows that made up the entire right side of her home. No, no matter how much money she spent or how many pictures she hung on the snow-white walls, for some reason this place just seemed so damn cold.

Staring around the room once more, she grimaced angrily and threw the glass filled with blood red wine against the wall.

'_I let him take everything from me! Two years of my fucking life! It's my birthday damn it, mine's! I should be home in Kyoto with my fucking family! I should be with Eri, Yuka, Ayumi, Souta, Mom, and Grandpa! I shouldn't be here in this…this god forsaken place!' _She was beyond angry. Maybe enraged, incensed, or fuming would've described her current mood better.

How often had she done this in the 7 months that she had been here? How often had the reality that she had allowed him to run her away from her home in tears, bring her to tears all over again?

When would she stop blaming him for her mistakes and deal with what was before her face? When would she forgive him and move on with her life?

_'When hell freezes over, that's when. I'll forgive him when hell freezes over and pigs reproduce with cows,'_ she thought hatefully.

Kagome had tried to make herself believe that she didn't regret her relationship with the wolf demon, because through everything that she went through with him, she'd learned a lot. But that didn't stop her from feeling stupid. It didn't stop her from feeling used. It didn't stop her from feeling like he'd taken something so precious from her… Something she would never be able to reclaim.

Sliding down the side of the wall, she pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face in them. "Why didn't I walk away? Why couldn't I just walk away?" she cried shamefully, as tears began to pour from her eyes.

'_It's been 7 damn months, why aren't I over this yet? Why does it still feel like I'm allowing him to hurt me? I don't love him! I don't…I don't want to love him anymore! I don't want to hurt anymore!'_

It hadn't been this bad in a very long time. Maybe it was the three and a half glasses of wine, or perhaps it was just the fact that she was alone on her birthday. She didn't know for sure, but today, for some reason, the pain that she felt on that warm summer night, 7 months ago was fresh within her chest, her heart, and her mind.

It was as if it had just happened. It was as if she had just found out the truth about the man she had wanted to promise herself to…the man she thought she'd grow old with.

That relationship…that heartbreak…that man…that sorry bastard of a youkai had made it so that she would never, could never trust another man…human…demon again. It didn't matter who it was. All she had left to believe in was herself, her family, and her career.

_'Never again.'_

Pulling herself to her feet, she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and straightened her back. She hated to feel…appear weak, even in private. She was okay with being angry or showing her anger, but weakness, that was something she refused to wallow in.

With her face red and streaked from her tears, she stood up, her head held high. "I will not…I will not allow that prick to take anything else from me. I will not allow anyone, no matter who he is, to take anything from me ever again," she vowed.

Her heart, what was left of it, belonged to her; she would protect it with her life.

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**_Simonkal of Inuy_**

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_His heart was filled with so much admiration that he thought at any moment it would burst. How could he, a hanyou, have found someone so beautiful and so giving? Someone that wanted…someone that needed him just as much as he needed her._

_The church was filled with people. It was a mixture, a beautiful mixture of demons and humans. Whites, blacks, Indians, and everything in between, people and friends from all over the world had flown in for this very special day._

_He stood there, beside his one and only best man as she made her way slowly up the isle, headed in his direction._

_She was radiant, dressed in a white chiffon fitted dress that hugged her hips and kissed every single one of her curves. Her long dark locks were pinned elegantly at the crown of her head with tendrils of curls falling down into her face._

_'Kami, she's beautiful. How could I have gotten so lucky? How could someone like her love me?' he thought, as he glanced over his shoulder at Sesshomaru._

_It was like a dream, a wonderful awe-inspiring dream, that wasn't meant for him. Yet he was living it. He, the hanyou that was teased unmercifully in school… The hanyou that everyone thought would amount to nothing was living a dream that belonged to someone else…someone that wasn't him._

_"Do you, Inuyasha, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"_

_It took him a minute to realize the he had missed more than a little bit of the ceremony, lost in thoughts of his gorgeous bride to be, because the American preacher that they had flown in for this special occasion was addressing him._

_"I…I do. Hell yeah, I do!" he exclaimed happily as he slipped the platinum wedding band onto her slender finger._

_The church erupted with joyous laughter and then quickly quieted down as the Preacher turned his attention to the hanyou's half- American half-Japanese bride._

_"By the powers vested in me, I present to you, Mister and Mrs. Takahashi."_

_The church erupted once more in cheers and shouts of congratulations as he leaned in and placed a sweet kiss to her beautifully painted lips._

_Turning to face his friends and family as a newly married man, Inuyasha listened intently as the once happy cheers turned into boos and words not meant for the ears of children or the elderly._

_Looking down at his wife, the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, Inuyasha watched in horror as she released his hand and joined the crowd as they laughed at him and called him a fool for believing that someone like her would actually marry him, of all people._

_He watched them point, gawk, and laugh in his face at his stupidity. "Wha…what's happening? What's going on?" he asked as the room began to swim around him, the laughter escalated, and the faces began to distort and mold into one another._

_He reached for her, called out to her, pleaded with her to tell him what was going on. But she just laughed…cackled at him and called him a fool!_

_"Kik…Kikyo, why? Tell me, why?" he begged, as they surrounded him; closed in on him, so much so that the air from his lungs felt like it had just been sucked right out._

**_End Dream Sequence_**

Inuyasha sat up, clutching his chest as he gasped for air. His bangs were stuck to his forehead, his satin sheets soaked from the sweat that coated his body. Ever since the wedding… Actually, ever since he came back from the honeymoon that he was supposed to take with his wife, he'd been having these dreams.

They were always the same in the beginning, but, as time passed, the ends began to change ever so slightly. Sometimes the people would poke him. Sometimes she would slap him and spit in his face. Sometimes she wouldn't even make it up the isle before she burst into laughter. He supposed that it really didn't matter, that in reality it hadn't gone down like that at all, the end result was still the same, wasn't it?

Crawling out of bed, he began to slowly pull the sheets off. At first this annoyed him to new heights, but over the past 5 months, since the sham of a wedding had happened, he'd gotten quite accustomed to it.

Normally, he would replace the sheets and crawl back in bed, but tonight, for some reason, he really had no desire to relive that day for the umpteenth time.

Walking out of the room, he made his way to the laundry room of his penthouse condo and tossed the sheets in for the maid to clean in the morning. He then made his way to the kitchen, where he quickly lit a cigarette and grabbed a Red Stripe beer out the refrigerator.

Glancing at the clock on his entertainment center, he noticed that it read 3:34 A.M. "Why am I surprised? Isn't it always the same time every night?" he asked no one in particular.

Sliding the balcony door open, he stepped on to it and over to the ledge while taking a swig of beer. Staring down at the streets far below, he took a deep breath and sighed as he ran his hand lethargically over his bare chest.

Inuyasha had to admit that he was rather proud of himself. He'd come so far from the night that that stinking cunt had walked out on him. At first, he was so angry that just the thought of her caused him to punch holes in his walls and destroy many of the priceless artifacts that he'd collected over the years.

It wasn't that she'd left him, per se. It was the way she did it, that got to him.

She could've told him how she felt before the wedding or any fucking time before he proposed to her, but no, the bitch wasn't that kind. It was as if she felt she just had to totally and undeniably humiliate him…destroy him. Leave him so tortured and tormented that he was nothing more than damaged goods.

_'That damn tramp went through the entire performance. She dragged me around picking out China and taste testing cakes for fucking months! Damn she had me fooled,'_ he thought as he stepped away from the ledge and sat down in one of his patio chairs.

Kicking his feet up on the table, he let his head fall back as he whispered, "Never again, will I be that foolish. Love…" he scoffed derisively, and then finished, "Love is for the foolish."

Of course, she had tried to explain, but what explanation was there that would justify what she had done and the manner in which she did it?

"That bitch. I hope she burns in fucking hell!" he hissed coldly as he took another swig of his rapidly warming beer.

The wind blew his silver mane into his face, but he paid it no mind. The only thing he wanted was to be rid of those dreams. He wanted to stop seeing her face everywhere he went. He wanted to stop hearing her laughter when he was in a crowded room, and he wanted more than anything else to just let go of this rage that he had buried so well.

Was he asking too much? Hadn't the Buddha laughed at him long enough?

Inuyasha snorted dryly. _'My entire life has been one big fucking joke. I was nothing less than a freaking fool to believe that I could actually be happy.'_ Downing the rest of his beer, his thought finished, _'Fool me once, shame on me… I'll be a monkey's limp nut before I ever let anyone else fool me again.'_

Closing his eyes, he tried to fight away the images of her that danced through his head, taunting him. If he could just make it through the next few hours with his sanity intact, he could once again bury himself in his work. He just needed to make it through the next four hours.

**Until Next Time**…(Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated)

Next Chapter: _Interference_


	2. Interference

A/N: As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness, one in particularly, Sango, is going to take a flying leap over it!! I'm sorry for the delay with this chapter. I actually meant to post it last week Friday, but forgot to before I left for my four-day trip to Universal Studios. I had a ball!! If you haven't been please go and ride The Hulk like 45 times, it amazing!! And the graphics on Spiderman are freaking awesome, it's like you're actually in the movie!! Oh my god, don't forget about dueling dragons!! That roller coaster will make you think you're having a heart attack, but you'll want to get back on as soon as you get off!! Well that's enough about that. For this fic, since it's basically just going to be fun writing, I'll try to update at least once a week!! Anyway thanks for all your reviews and keep it up, it's about to get hot from here.

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**Disclaimer:** I don't claim ownership to anyone; we just have to give thanks to Rumiko Takahashi/Viz for that. However, I do claim ownership to Nya.

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**FYI:** Kanna and Kagura are not, I repeat not, demons in this fic.

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**Chapter 2**

_**Interference**_

"Don't tell me you slept here, again."

Inuyasha glanced up from his computer screen and snorted at his secretary, Nya.

She was a black woman, about the age of 35 or so, who had moved from the states with her husband, a native Japanese man. At first Inuyasha had found it rather weird that she was married to a short, fat, almost bald, and squinty-eyed Jap.

It was by no means the mixing of races that unnerved him. It was more that Nya was actually rather attractive; well more than attractive. She was beautiful. She was of slender build and stood at least 5'8" with honey-toned skin. She had stark black hair that she wore cropped about her shoulders. Her facial features reminded him of a Tropicana commercial he'd seen on one of his many business trips to LA.

Basically, he knew that, had it not been love that had her shackled to the imp she called a husband, she could've been married to some business tycoon, or maybe even a movie star, and living the high life up in the valleys of her home state.

Gliding over to his desk, she set down the cup of coffee that she'd bought for him on her way up. "I know you own 50 of this company, but do you really think that if you go home it'll fall apart?"

Picking up the cup of coffee that she brought to him everyday like clockwork, Inuyasha sat back in his chair. After taking a quick sip, he stated with a smirk, "Nosey Nya, if you must know, I did go home last night."

Glancing down at her watch, which read 7:15 A.M., Nya sat down in the chair across from her boss. "What'd you do, go home and shower, then come right back? I left here at 9 last night and you were still here."

Setting the cup down on his desk, Inuyasha stared at his secretary. She may have only been a few years older than him, but she sure had a way of acting like his mother.

If he didn't go home, she'd berate him as if he was child. If he went without eating, she'd order food and place it in front of him. After the fiasco of a wedding, she was the only one that understood that what he needed was time alone, and she made damn sure he got it.

"It's 7 in the morning, even I don't normally come in this early and I'm usually the first one here," Nya explained, letting him know that she was not about to buy his bullshit.

"So then why are you here? Don't tell me you and your fat-ass husband had a fight."

Nya laughed. She knew he wasn't trying to put her husband down; hell, he always talked about him like that, from the moment he met him. "I already told you, he's not fat! He's big boned."

Inuyasha laughed and replied, "Is that what they're calling it these days? I always thought fat was fat."

Crossing her legs elegantly, Nya pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at him. "Whatever. See if I come in early again to check on you. And that's the last cup of coffee I bring you too," she snapped, crossing her arms under her full breasts.

Inuyasha wanted to laugh at her failed attempt at pouting, but held it in. He didn't think she'd know how not to bring him coffee. As a matter of fact, when she came in for her first interview, she brought him a cup of coffee mixed exactly the way he liked it; black and strong, no sugar and no cream. 5 years had passed since then and here she sat.

'_She came in early to check on me? Am I really that bad about falling to sleep at work?'_ he thought.

Nya said, "All jokes aside, you seem to be in higher spirits today. Kanna wouldn't by any chance have something to do with this, would she?" She'd set him up on a blind date with her husband's cousin a week ago, and had hoped that they would hit it off.

Inuyasha scoffed and almost choked on his coffee. "The albino princess? You must be joking."

"Well I talked to her and she said the date went well. She said you guys talked all night."

"Correction, 'she' talked all night," Inuyasha stated. Turning back to his computer, he finished, "And, please, stop trying to set me up with these relatives of yours. I have absolutely no desire to be even remotely, related you."

Nya laughed and retorted, "You say that like it would be a bad thing."

"Feh, when you set me up with people that can't handle sunlight and talk a mile a minute about absolutely nothing, then yes, I definitely find a problem with it." Sitting back in his chair, he continued as he picked up his cup, "Need I mention your gold digging niece-in-law, Kagura. That chick talked constantly about her Prada bags and her Gucci boots." Scooting forward so that he could stare Nya in the face, he added, "Do I look like I fucking care about her Gucci anything?" Swallowing the last of his coffee, he added, "Did I tell you she had the audacity to ask me to help her buy a new car?"

"She didn't," Nya, stated in disbelief.

"Yes! Yes, she did. It was our first date!"

"You never told me that!" Nya exclaimed. "I can't believe she did that! Wait until I get my hands on her! Th…that gold digging, Heffa!"

"Yeah, well believe it. And that's exactly why I would appreciate it if you didn't try setting me up with anyone 'you know' ever again."

Inuyasha knew she meant well, but sometimes the people that meant well seemed to cause the most trouble and were the hardest to get to back off.

He hadn't had the heart to tell her that he had no desire to meet with her horrid single female family members, or any other woman for that matter. So, what he always did when she came to him with another 'fart' of an idea was put it off, and put it off, and put it off. When he felt he had run out of believable excuses for why he couldn't just have a drink with what she considered a beautiful woman, and someone that he would connect with, he'd cave.

"I should get at least one more chance. You know what they say in baseball, three strikes and you're out."

"Nya, have I told you how much I absolutely loathe baseball?"

Standing to her feet, she reached over and playfully snatched the empty coffee cup from his hand. "I happen to love baseball, and that means I get one more chance to set you up with the perfect woman."

"Please, God, save me," Inuyasha mumbled while looking up at the ceiling.

Turning away, Nya replied as she made her way to the door, "Don't worry. She will…she will."

Inuyasha chuckled as he watched her slowly pull the door closed behind her.

This was why he relished being at work so much. It was the distraction from his wayward thoughts of Kikyo and her betrayal. The countless hours of looking over numbers and the endless amounts of meetings, all of it allowed him just a few hours of feeling normal, needed, and appreciated.

Sliding his chair away from his desk, he glanced at the clock on the wall and grimaced. It was only 8:15 A.M.; he'd been here for two hours, meticulously going over the data for the meeting with the executives from Johnson & Johnson, who were considering opening up a Japanese office.

The meeting was supposed to take place in about 45 minutes; it was a time that he could hardly wait for. Not because he liked participating in them, but because it was just another needed, desired distraction away from his innermost thoughts.

At one time, he hated doing this…being here. He hated being dressed in a suit and tie and mulling over mounds of paper. He'd rather be in jeans and a t-shirt and racing up the cliffside on his motorcycle.

If the weather was nice and he had to come into the office, he'd throw on a pair of slippers, baggy jeans, and a worn t-shirt and wander in for a few minutes or so. But now… After Kikyo… After the wedding that should have never happened… After the betrayal and the broken heart… After the weeks of forced solitude…

Staring at his reflection in the spotless windowpane, Inuyasha took in his appearance slowly. His perfectly pressed, buttoned down shirt with matching pearl cuff links and tie, his personally fitted slacks and the Italian shoes that he wore on his feet.

Staring at his reflection a little longer, he allowed his eyes to roam higher, up to the top of his head and at the two dog-ears that sat up proud and aware, then down at the golden orbs that were identical to his. Snarling slightly, he allowed his tongue to roam freely over his fangs.

Running his hand down his impassive looking face, he tried to wipe away the despondent look that stared back at him, but to no avail.

Stepping back, away from the image that smirked back at him gloatingly, he mumbled, "Who am I? When did I become…become Sesshomaru?"

"Mr. Takahashi, the clients for your 9 A.M. meeting have arrived. Also, your brother called; he wants you to start without him."

It was Nya's voice booming over the intercom that jarred him out of his reverie and back into a world that he had become accustomed to…a world that he now welcomed.

"Show them to the conference room, I'll be there shortly," Inuyasha replied, his voice distant… vacant. He realized in that moment that he hadn't a clue as to just whom it was he was staring back at.

* * *

**_Simonkal of Inuy_**

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"Law office," Kagome chirped, as she picked up the phone, which her Secretary would have gotten had she been on time.

The person on the other end asked for her, but she replied, "She's not available, can I take a message?"

It wasn't that she didn't want to talk to the person on the other end; it was just that she hadn't quite gotten over the hangover from her one-person birthday celebration the night before.

"I'll make sure she gets this just soon as she comes in," she stated, trying her best to sound like the happy-go-lucky airhead that she thought most receptionists were.

Hanging up the phone, she sat back in her chair and groaned. _'Why did I have to open that second bottle of wine? Why couldn't I just go to bed?'_ she thought as her temples pulsed harshly against her skull.

Squinting at the clock that hung over the door of her office, she noticed that it read, 9:25 A.M. _'25 minutes late, eh? My God, is that woman ever on time for anything?'_

It's not that she had anything special for her to do; Kagome just hated tardiness.

How she'd put up with her assistant for this long was beyond her. To be fair, she had to admit that the girl knew her stuff. She was the best damn paralegal in the office and had pulled Kagome out of one too many pit falls, which always caused Kagome to wonder, _'Why in the hell hasn't she taken her bar exam?' _

"Good morning, Boss Lady!"

Groaning, Kagome covered her ears with her hands and whispered, "Must you not only be late, but do you have to be loud as well?"

Sango laughed and fanned her hand in a dismissive manner as she made her way over to one of the plush chairs that sat in front of Kagome's desk. "I'm sorry, I really did try to be on time this morning, but Miroku… Well, let's just say that, if he doesn't get his fix in the morning, he's a grumpy, grumpy man."

"Oh God, please spare me. I really think that's just too much information." Kagome figured she'd never get used to this woman's blatant disregard for privacy. It was as if she had no decorum whatsoever. "Sango, could you please not talk so loud."

Settling back in her chair, the all too chipper young woman crossed her legs and stared across the huge mahogany desk at Kagome. "Did you go get drunk without me last night?"

Kagome rolled her eyes and mumbled, "No, actually I didn't go out."

"But you did get drunk. I can tell a hung-over person when I see one."

"Oh please, just…just…" Kagome gulped, and then finished, "Just be on time, will you?"

Sango sat forward, her elbows resting on the polished top of the desk. "So what was the occasion? You've never been hung-over before, at least not in all the time that I've been working for you."

Kagome didn't mean to be short with her, but she felt terrible; irritated, frustrated, and downright sick. "You 'were' late, you 'are' loud, and you're 'too' damn nosey, Sango."

The woman in question leaned back and smirked. "Maybe I am, but you've got a nasty hangover and you've got a client coming in an hour."

Kagome groaned dejectedly and let her head fall forward onto her desk. _'…Mr. Suki and his loud obnoxious wife. Kill me now, Lord!' _

Digging in her purse that was still slung over her shoulder, Sango pulled out two packets and slid them across the huge desk. "Here take these; you should be feeling better within a few minutes." Thinking better of it, she pulled the packets back and chuckled, then stated, "On one condition."

Kagome looked up at her assistant and groaned again, but her face clearly read, 'whatever you want, I'll do it. Just make this feeling go away!'

"Tell me why you were drinking last night. Did you have a date? Was he fine? Did you get laid?"

The look on Kagome's face registered 30 degrees of shock and dismay, but she didn't have the energy necessary to bite the grinning woman's head off.

"If you want these, then you better tell me," Sango teased, knowing full well that, regardless of whether Kagome told her or not, the medicine was hers without question.

"I could just fire you, you know," Kagome hissed, trying to sound threatening.

"I suppose, but you won't. Now stop wasting time, Boss Lady, we have clients coming in."

'_God I hate her sometimes,'_ Kagome thought, as she sat back in her chair, her hands still clutching her temples. "If you must know, it was my birthday. I just had a few glasses of wine at home, alone."

"Your birthday? Why didn't you tell me? We could've gone out!" Sango declared, standing to her feet. "I would've taken you to the new club that just opened off of 5th," she finished, while walking over to the small bar that took up the right front corner of the office.

Grabbing a glass, Sango proceeded to fill it with water then empty the contents of the packets into it. "So, why didn't you tell me? I would've, at the very least, gotten you something."

Taking the glass from her, Kagome gulped it quickly, and then retorted breathlessly, "If this works, I'll consider this my birthday present, okay?"

Staring at Kagome for a moment, Sango couldn't help but to notice the resemblance between her boss and a wounded puppy that had been abandoned on the side of road.

'_How could a woman as pretty and as kind as her, spend her birthday alone?'_

Thinking back, she realized in the months that she had been working with Kagome, she had never heard her mention anything about a man…any man… ever. She'd never received flowers, with the exception of yesterday, and that was from her mother.

They'd been out a few times for drinks after work and even shopping on the weekend every now and again, but she'd never even thought to ask about it. All they ever really talked about was her upcoming nuptials to Miroku.

'_Is it possible that she doesn't have a man in her life? Could she have gone this long with no one…no sex?'_ That thought alone was enough to jar Sango out of her self-induced haze. _' I know she's a private person, but nobody can be that private. I have to help her.' _

"Boss Lady?"

Cracking an eye open, Kagome responded, "How many times have I told you not to call me that?"

Walking back over to the desk, Sango ignored her. She'd always called her that and Kagome had always told her not to, so why stop now?

Setting her purse down in the chair, she glanced around the office then back down at Kagome. "Do you want to do something this weekend?"

The hung over young woman mimicked, "Do…something?"

"Yeah, Miroku is going to be working all weekend so I have some free time; and, besides, I'm sure it's been awhile since you've gone out."

Kagome stared at her, she could feel the medicine, whatever it was, already beginning to work it's magic. "Go out?"

"For a female attorney that made partner at the age of 25, you sure can act slow," Sango chided playfully. "Yes, do you want to go out? You spend most of your time cooped up in this office and the rest alone. My god, you act like you're married with children or something."

Kagome inquired apprehensively, her eyes narrowed slightly, "What are you up to?"

"My goodness, woman, I'm not up to anything! I just haven't had a girl's night out in a long time, and who better to have one with, if not my Boss Lady?"

Kagome knew she was up to something, regardless of what she said, but she hadn't a clue as to just what that was. "I don't know. I haven't really been out to a club in a while."

"Oh really?" Stepping so that she was standing directly in front of her, Sango continued, "When is the last time you went out on a date?"

"And what, exactly, does a date have to do with going out to a club?"

"Nothing, I was just wondering," Sango replied.

"Well stop wondering," Kagome snapped. She didn't know why, but, every time the topic of dating and men came up, she always got defensive.

Okay, so she was lying to herself, she knew exactly why. It always dug up thoughts of Kouga…thoughts of things that she didn't want to deal with…feelings that she wanted nothing to do with.

Sango stared down at her with a tight, empathetic smile. She didn't have many girlfriends, but, from the ones she did have, she had learned that when a woman was jilted or hurt in a previous relationship they tended to shy away from everything and anything dealing with the opposite sex.

'_Could she have been hurt?' _

One would have thought that, because Sango was a woman, she would have experienced some degree of this first hand, but she hadn't. She and Miroku had been dating since she was 15 and he was 17. He'd never cheated on her that she knew about, though he was the absolute definition of a flirt.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you. It's just…It's just been a rough few days," Kagome stated softly, feeling ashamed for letting her angry side show through for even a second.

Sango rolled her eyes and giggled, "Don't worry about it," as she turned and bent over to pick up her purse.

"Sango, I'd love to go out sometime, if the offer still stands," Kagome said out of guilt more than anything else.

The ecstatic young woman replied, while turning to leave, "Great, then this weekend we'll make a whole day out of it, okay?" She wasn't sure what she would do from there, but what she did know was that her boss was in desperate need of a friend, and, if boss would let her, she'd be that friend.

Kagome watched the woman retreat from her office and she smiled wanly. _'What will it hurt to just go out and have fun? Who says I have to meet up with some asshole? I'll just go out, enjoy Sango's company for a few __hours, __and head back home, that's all. Just us…Just the girls.'_

When did she start having to talk herself into doing something fun? Maybe her mom was right. Maybe it was time for her to go out and have some fun, minus the men of course. Maybe this once… Maybe…

Kagome sighed and rested her head on her desk. Her head still hurt just a little too much to think at the moment, but she was able to manage a final thought before she closed her eyes and tried to catch what the American mega talk show host, Oprah, called a power nap, _'My life sucks!'_

**Until Next Time**…(Your .02 cents is greatly appreciated)

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**Next Chapter**: Cynical Fever 


	3. Cynical Fever

**A/N: **As always all of the characters, especially in this fic, will be walking that lightly colored line called OOCness, especially Sango. I don't normally update anything this quick, but I'm having entirely too much fun writing this fic, so I figured I go a head and update!! And for those of you that are wondering why I haven't updated Conf II, well don't worry it's coming. More than likely, it'll be next week sometime. Probably Wednesday or Thursday, maybe even Tuesday.

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**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters, we all have to thank Rumiko Takahashi for that, but Nya is mine.

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**FYI**: Cynacalism, is used on purpose. I'm well aware that it's not a word.

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**Chapter 3 **

**_Cynical Fever_**

Two days, four hours, and thirty minutes later, Kagome found herself wondering just why she hadn't thought about doing this before. She and Sango had just spent the early morning hours in the local spa, getting massaged and pampered in a manner befitting nothing less than a queen.

Stepping out into the bright sunlight of the early afternoon, Kagome smiled sincerely for the first time in an extremely long time. The last time she had done anything remotely similar to this was the weekend she spent with her high school friends after her graduation from Law School.

"God, that felt so damn good," Sango exclaimed, stepping out the door behind her.

Rolling her head from side to side, Kagome moaned softly and added, "You can say that again."

Hooking her arm into that of her soon-to-be friend, Sango turned them in the direction of the shopping complex that sat about 4 blocks away. "Now let's go do what girls do best, shop."

Kagome giggled nervously, feeling a little uncomfortable with another woman standing so close to her, but it was innocent. So in the end, she tightened her hold on Sango's arm and allowed herself to be lead down the sidewalk.

"When we get to the mall, we have to go to Gadzooks first! They have a pair of black leather pants that I just know will look amazing on you," Sango gushed giddily.

The only thought that registered in Kagome's mind was, _'Leather pants? I wouldn't be caught dead in leather anything!' _Swallowing the saliva that had built up at the back of her throat, she finally responded, "I know you're not implying that you expect me to buy and wear something like that!"

Sango threw her head back and laughed. She'd expected this kind of reaction from Kagome; after all she did act like she was 46 instead of 26. However, she had promised herself that no matter what, Kagome was going to have a damn good time tonight.

"Oh stop it! I'm sick of you acting like an old maid. Besides, if they don't fit you right, then you don't have to buy them, okay?"

Kagome glanced at the overly outspoken woman from the corner of her eye. "Is that so?"

"Just trust me, will you? So far you've had a ball, haven't you?"

Kagome thought about that for a moment, and then replied, "Yes, actually I have had a really good time, thus far."

"Good then let me handle everything else. I won't make you wear or buy anything that you're absolutely against."

Kagome laughed lightly, but her laughter quickly died as she made eye contact with a shorthaired, tall man walking towards them. He was staring directly at her as if he knew her or something.

She quickly took in his shifty, all too welcoming green eyes, the dimples set deep within each of his cheeks, the way his jaw line accentuated his well set cheekbones, and she growled.

Yes, yes she growled like a dog!

'_Look at him staring at me as if I'm a piece of meat! I bet he has a wife and kids waiting at home for him and all he can think about is getting in my panties!'_

True enough, the guy hadn't even approached her or said two words to her, but she knew what… who he was. She could see it all over his face, written across his forehead in bold black letters, 'Loser, Cheater, Whore Mongrel, Liar.' It was all there wasn't it, and only she could see it.

She wouldn't fall for it again, not this time! Not for him or anyone else!

Rolling her eyes at the gentleman that was now smiling brightly at her, Kagome flared her nostrils at him and sharply whipped her head in the opposite direction. _'No good son of a bitch,'_ she thought hatefully, forgetting that she really had no real reason to hate this man.

"Earth to Kagome," Sango quipped loudly, trying to get the other young woman's attention. Stopping, she tugged on Kagome's arm. "Are you okay?"

Kagome finally turned to face her, her face still set in a scowl. Glancing over her friend's shoulder at the man that had unknowingly offended her, she responded in a clipped tone, "I'm fine."

Glancing over her shoulder in the direction that her friend was glaring in, Sango asked, "He's cute. Do you know him?"

Shaking her head, Kagome began to walk away as she replied, "Know him? Thank god, I don't."

Sango spared another moment to look at the nameless man that was quickly making his way down the sidewalk, and then back at her friend, who was already more than a few feet away from her. _'What's with her?' _Jogging to catch up with her, Sango snaked her arm back within Kagome's and asked, "So are you going to tell me what that was about?"

"I haven't a clue as to what you're talking about," Kagome lied snottily.

"Oh please, you looked like you wanted to kill that guy and then you say you don't know him. Boss Lady, if you don't tell me what the heck is up with that, I'm going to start to think that you're nuts," Sango said, adding the last part to lighten the mood just a little.

Kagome shook her head, not wanting to have to explain anything to her, but knowing that she definitely did owe her an explanation. She avowed in a huff, "I'm just tired of being looked at as nothing more than a nut."

Sango was taken aback by the normally reserved woman's response. "D…did you just say, nut? As in a man's sexual peak?"

Kagome blushed, feeling embarrassed.

"I knew you had it in you," Sango exclaimed happily.

Glancing at her friend, Kagome replied, "It's not funny! Men walk around here just doing whatever they want! They come on to us, promising forevers and shit like that and they never follow through! And quite honestly, I'm sick of it!"

Pulling the door to the mall open, Sango eyed her friend curiously. Before, she was just wondering…contemplating the idea that perhaps Kagome had had her heart broken once or twice before, but now she knew without a doubt that, that had to be the case. What she needed to know now was just how bad and how long ago.

The noise from the mall hit the two women full force. It was like thousands…millions of people were talking all at once with not one of them, listening to the other. The change from the outdoor sunlight to the harsh glow of the light bulbs overhead was a jarring thing on both their eyes.

Sango squinted while Kagome tried to shield her eyes with her hands in an attempt to give them a minute to adjust.

Guiding Kagome in the direction of Gadzook's, Sango declared, "Not all men are like that. Some of them actually want a meaningful relationship."

"Sounds like bullshit to me because I haven't met one yet that has meant 'me' any good," Kagome responded, not caring anymore if Sango knew how she felt towards the opposite sex.

"Well I've been dating Miroku since I was 15 and, outside of his flirtatious nature, he's a really great guy."

Stepping to the side to allow a woman with 3 rowdy children to pass, Kagome replied sarcastically, "So he's one in a freaking million. That really says a lot for the good guy-bad guy ratio, doesn't it?"

Sango glanced at the woman who, until now, she thought she had known. "Don't you think you're being a little cynical? All men aren't whores you know. You just have to find the right one."

"I mean no disrespect, but I'm so sick of women who are either already married, about to get married, or don't have a chance in hell of getting married telling me that I just haven't found the right one. It's not about finding the right one."

Sango looked at her determined friend and smirked. Not because she took what she said lightly, but because it seemed like for the first time in their personal and business relationship, she was finally being herself…finally opening up. "If it's not about 'the right one', what is it about then?"

"It's about having the strength to not kill the assholes that you meet while you're waiting for the right one," Kagome responded seriously.

Stepping through the doors of Gadzooks, Sango stated while making her way over to the rack that held the leather pants, "Ah, so you do believe that there is a such thing as 'the right one'?"

Kagome rolled her eyes, then allowed them to travel towards the few stores that stood across from the ghastly store that Sango had dragged her to. She immediately noticed a small jewelry store directly across the hall, but didn't have time to pay attention to the occupants, since her companion was trying to gain her attention.

Walking over to Sango, she finally answered the question that had been thrown at her, "I guess, for people like you, the right one can exist, but for me… I'll pass."

"Alright, Boss Lady, you've just earned yourself a new name. The Queen of Cynicalism."

Kagome scoffed, "Is that even a word?"

"Now it is," Sango replied, shoving a pair of size 2 black leather pants in her friend's hand. "Go try these on before you depress me even more."

Watching Kagome walk off with the pants in hand, Sango had what she believed was a brilliant idea. Following behind her, she leaned against the door of the dressing room. "Queen of Cynicalism?" she called.

"Don't call me that!"

"Well, at least you know I'm talking to you. Anyway, I've got a proposition for you."

"Do I even want to hear this?" Kagome called back, her voice strained.

"Well, you won't have anything to lose, but everything to gain."

Kagome groaned, hating herself for even asking, "What is it?"

"Well, you know how you hate it when I'm late to work… What if I told you that there was something that you could do that would get me to work on time for at least a week?" Sango asked, hoping Kagome was still listening.

"Go on."

Sango heard the sound of a zipper closing as she continued, "If I come to work on time for a week straight, you'll let me set you up on a blind date."

Silence ensued; nothing but uncomfortable, deafening silence.

Pressing her face against the outside of the door, Sango asked softly, "Hello, Queen of Cyncalism, are you still there?"

Kagome heard her just fine, she just didn't know what to say to that. She was sure that Sango was just trying to help her, or either to show her that all men weren't the same, but what was the point, really?

Men everywhere, no matter the color of their skin, their height, the length of their hair, their nationality, or their body weight was, all the same, weren't they? They were all whores and pathetic impotent bastards!

Chances were that she would be set up with some dim wit with nothing to offer, no aspirations, no life, and a hidden family stored somewhere in the closet. Pushing the door open, Kagome made her way over to the three-way mirror near the front of the store without giving an answer.

"Boss Lady, did you hear me?" Acting like someone that had Attention Deficit Disorder, Sango exclaimed, "They look like they were made especially for you!"

Pulling her shirt up so that a small amount of her midriff was showing, Kagome turned around slowly in the mirror, allowing her eyes to trail slowly over the reflection of her body. She had to admit that the pants did fit her well.

"You have to get those! We'll find a shirt, or maybe a bustier, and the right pumps to go with them so you can wear them tonight, okay?"

"Yeah…yeah, sure," Kagome responded, eyeing the way the pants made her behind look perfectly round and supple. _'Makes me want to spank myself,' _she thought playfully while rubbing her hand slowly over her bottom and down her hips.

Watching her friend walk back to the dressing room, Sango stopped her and inquired almost pleadingly, "So what's my answer? Are you up to the challenge?"

Kagome turned, her eyes narrowed almost menacingly. She'd been quietly considering the idea; after all, it didn't mean that she had to seriously date anyone that Sango chose. She could, instead, use them to prove her point, right?

"You come in on time for a whole month and I'll let you set me up on one date."

Sango gasped and blurted, "A whole month?" After thinking it over she replied, "If I come in on time for one whole month, I get to set you up on 4 dates, one date for each week."

Kagome stared at the woman, contemplating her offer. _'If I agree, that just gives me more chances to rub her silly notions in her face. But I can't let her think that she's won these negotiations.'_ Turning, she headed back into the dressing room and shut door. "One month, three dates, to run concurrently, but only after you have acceptably performed your portion of this verbal contract."

'_So she put on her Attorneys' hat, eh.' _Sango was gloating slightly, happy that she was getting her to accept the challenge. She was hoping that she'd be able to find some decent guys that could help change Kagome's mind about men. She honestly didn't care or even expect her to fall in love with any of them; she just wanted her to know that all men were not the same and that love always deserved a chance.

"To make sure that neither one of us can back out of this verbal contract, I wish to amend it, to include, that the dates are to happen the weekend after each 5 day work week," Sango stated.

Stepping out of the dressing room, Kagome nodded in agreement and smirked at the grinning woman. _'She thinks she's going to change my mind, how droll,' _she thought as she headed towards the register.

At the very same moment, Sango was thinking, _'I'll show her. Now I just have to get Miroku to recommend a few of his friends for this little task.' _

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_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

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"Was it absolutely necessary for you to drag me all the way out here to pick out a damn anniversary gift for 'your' wife?" Inuyasha inquired as he walked into the jewelry store behind his brother.

"You act as if you were actually busy," Sesshomaru responded nonchalantly, not caring that his half-brother was pissed.

Quite honestly, ever since Kikyo had left him, Inuyasha had been so withdrawn that it irritated the full-blooded demon, and that said a lot because very little, especially concerning Inuyasha, got to him.

Staring around the small jewelry store and the cases filled with jewels of every color and design, Inuyasha retorted, "I don't care if I was sitting on my couch, flossing and picking my goddamn nose, that's better than being here with you."

Sesshomaru glared at his surly brother and stepped towards the counter.

"Hello, what can I help you with today, sir?" an older, graying woman from behind the counter asked.

Sesshomaru replied, staring down at the different designs of necklaces sitting in the glass case, "I need to purchase something for my wife. It's our anniversary."

Inuyasha frowned at the back of his brother's head and snorted derisively as he began to peruse the rest of the store slowly. _'Why waste money on a bitch…any bitch, when she'll probably just pawn the shit later?'_ he thought with a dry snort.

This was going to be his brother's fifth anniversary. Sure, it was a big deal for them at least, but why did he have to drag him along? He'd been minding his own business when the idiot showed up at his door unannounced and practically demanded he come with him.

It wasn't like Inuyasha was a jewelry expert or anything. As a matter of fact, he'd only picked out two pieces in his life; the watch he wore on a daily basis and the ring he bought for that bitch.

Inuyasha growled low in his throat. Why did everything lead back to Kikyo? Why did every fucking thought he have not dealing with work end with her? Why couldn't he just look at something or hear a song and not think of her?

Shaking his head, he stared down into the glass case directly in front of him and groaned. It was filled with engagements rings and wedding bands of every type and style. Allowing his eyes to roam for a moment longer, he thought back to the day that he'd picked out her ring.

He'd been so nervous and elated all at the same time. His palms were sweaty, his heart was racing; he'd felt like at any moment he was going to pass out, but somehow he held on.

As a matter of fact, if he had to compare the day he proposed to her to the day that he bought the ring, he'd have to admit that he was much more of a wreck while the salesman was showing him all the different rings to choose from.

"Inuyasha?"

Shaking his head in an attempt to shake his thoughts off, the hanyou made his way over to where his brother was standing with what seemed like 12 different pieces of jewelry displayed before him. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he asked disinterestedly, "What" as he stopped just behind Sesshomaru.

"What do you think about these?" Sesshomaru inquired, not turning around to look at his younger brother.

Inuyasha glanced around him and at the pieces of jewelry, then back at his older brother. "Just pick one. You could give her dried shit wrapped in newspaper and Rin would like it."

That was a true enough statement, but Sesshomaru always took care when buying anything for his wife. "Just tell me what you like."

Stepping to the counter, Inuyasha pointed at a diamond bracelet with matching earrings, a Tiffany bracelet with a matching choker, a diamond cut teardrop ring, and a one-of-a-kind jade broach trimmed in diamonds. "I like these."

Sesshomaru responded, "I see," then turned to the sales woman and demanded, "Remove those."

Watching the woman remove every item he'd pointed to, Inuyasha mumbled, "Must you always be a prick?" He then walked out the door of the jewelry store.

Refusing to go too far since he despised shopping and everything associated with it, he leaned back against the wall just outside of the door and watched droves of people shuffle by looking like cattle being herded.

The hanyou watched couple after couple pass him by and he snorted at each of them. More than a few women passed him, unable to keep their eyes to themselves. To all of them, he growled low and even snarled showing just enough of his fangs to force them to look away.

'They're nothing but a bunch of tramps. All dolled up, looking like they belong on a corner somewhere or in a brothel in the Red District. Keh!'

Allowing his eyes to roam to the store across the hall, he read the sign that said Gadzooks. Almost immediately, his eyes fell on a woman primping in the mirror, trying on a pair of black leather pants. He watched her stick out her butt then run her hand over it slowly.

After a few moments of just staring at herself, she picked up her shirt so that the flesh of her belly was showing and she smiled at her reflection. A few seconds later what must have been her friend, walked up behind her and no doubt told her how good she looked.

Inuyasha's frown deepened as his thoughts took a turn in the wrong direction. _'Look at her, primping and prissing in the window like that. I bet she has some stupid ass guy at home waiting for her, promising her the fucking world, but all she's concerned about is going out to some fucking club and getting fucked by a stranger.'_

Unknowingly interrupting his brother's thoughts, Sesshomaru asked as he emerged from the store with bag in hand, "See something you want?"

Growling at his brother's idiotic comment, the hanyou replied, still staring at the unsuspecting girl with the black leather pants on, "Not even with your inch worm dick."

Following his brother's gaze, Sesshomaru ignored his boorish comment as he watched the girl, whom his brother was still closely gawking at, retreat away from the window and disappear into the back of the store. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he thought, _'Where do I know her from?'_

"Keh, if you're done pussy footing around, take me home. I've had enough of this bullshit for a fucking lifetime."

Staring at the store for a moment longer, Sesshomaru finally turned and followed his irritated brother out of the mall. Perhaps the girl, whoever she was, just reminded him of something or someone long forgotten.

**Until Next Time**…(Your .02 cents is greatly appreciated.) 

_Next Chapter_: Doing It My Way


	4. Doing It My Way

**A/N**: As always all characters will be walking that super fine line of OOCness. **Mild** **Lemon Warning!!** Once again, I'm having entirely too much fun writing this. I know some of you will probably be disappointed with what one of the characters will be doing and to whom, but hang in there and remember I forewarned you, this fic will not play out the way you may think it will. That being said; thank you all for your wonderful reviews. Each one that I receive pushes me to update even faster!!

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**Disclaimer:** Rumiko Takahashi, with the exception of Nya, created all other characters.

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**Chapter 4**

**_Doing It My Way_**

He pounded into her with vicious unbridled anger. He didn't see her face or acknowledge that she was a human being.

He rode her like she was an inanimate object…a nothing…a nobody. He didn't consider that she had feelings or was possibly someone's daughter, sister, and friend or perhaps even some poor underprivileged child's mother; the hanyou didn't care.

He'd gone to a small tavern after work to get a drink and find some quiet solitude and just a moment of peace, but instead he found her.

He tried ignoring her, he tried being cold to her, forcing her away, but, just like every other scandalous bitch out there, she just kept coming at him. It was obvious from her state of dress what she was after, so, after a 6 pack of Red Stripe and a pack of cigarettes, he felt obliged to at least release the tension he had been carrying around for months now.

He didn't ask her name or what she did, quite honestly he didn't care; she was a means to an end.

Pulling back on her bleached blonde ponytail, he rammed into her harder and harder as he felt the end drawing closer.

How many times had he done this with Kikyo?

He slammed harshly into the nameless woman again as she screamed for pleasurable mercy with her lips, yet bucked back against him with her hips.

How many times had Kikyo screamed his name in pleasure, begging him for more?

Inuyasha growled as his anger surged to the forefront. Twisting his hand around the base of her ponytail, he yanked angrily back on it, causing the woman to scream out in what could've been agony.

Perhaps her screams, under any other circumstance, would have made him stop or at least ask her if she was all right, but he didn't care. After all she had a mouth; she could've easily said, "Stop, no," or even "enough".

'_Fuck her!' _he growled as he stared at the back of her head, then down at the sweat beading up between her slender shoulders and trickling quickly down her spine.

Maybe if he hadn't met her in some dank disgusting bar, dressed like the skank hat she was, he would've had at least an ounce of respect for her. But this bleach blonde whore, she deserved nothing less than this; nothing less than being treated like the dried up cow that she truly was.

The women squealed beneath him as her body began to shake, quiver, and twitch uncontrollably.

Inuyasha continued to pound into her, each time with just a little more vigor, a little more anger. He could feel the relief that he so desperately needed within reach, calling to him, beckoning him to come get it!

Pulling out of her, he flipped her over and hissed coldly, "Suck it," while pulling off the condom that he'd put on earlier.

Unbelievably, she obliged with no resistance. Crawling towards him quickly, the wretched woman wrapped her lips possessively around his shaft and sucked him in as deep as she could without gagging.

Inuyasha wasn't satisfied with this, so he took over and began pumping in and out of her mouth at a rapid pace. He didn't care if the bitch choked on her own tongue, he wanted his end and he wanted this dirty bitch to swallow every drop of his seed like the septic tank she was.

He heard her choking…gagging, pleading for him to slow down, but he held her head in place and pumped even harder until the tingles that started in his abdomen took over his body, causing him to spasm and spill what felt like buckets of semen into her mouth.

Panting heavily, he pushed the woman away from him and rolled off his bed. He didn't want to be near her or even speak to her for that matter!

Glancing at her quickly as he picked up the used condom off the floor, he growled low in his throat, hating himself for being this weak.

"What's your name, Honey?" she asked as she rolled over, pulling the covers up to cover her breasts as if she were tucking herself in for the night.

Inuyasha stopped dead in his tracks. '_This bitch just let me fuck her and she doesn't even know my name?' _he thought as he reached for his wallet.

Pulling out three hundred dollars, he tossed it on the bed. "I'm going to take a shower, be gone by the time I get out," he stated impassively.

Sitting up, she picked up the money and stared at it in disbelief. "I'm not a whore, you bastard!"

Inuyasha scoffed dryly and replied, "Well if it walks like a whore and fucks like a whore, it probably is a whore."

"You son of a bitch!" the woman screamed angrily.

"I've heard worse, now get the fuck out. Your services are no longer needed," the hanyou replied as he picked up his towel and walked into the bathroom.

Shutting the door, he stared disappointedly at his reflection in the mirror as he listened to the pissed off woman mumble incoherent things about asshole pricks who think they're better than everyone else.

Inuyasha sighed. That wasn't the absolute truth. He didn't think he was better than anyone, he just knew he was better than some dirty slut that comes onto him and any other guy at a fucking bar.

After hearing his bedroom door slam shut, then the front door a few seconds later, he turned on the shower. The hanyou made sure that it was as hot as his body could stand before he stepped in, hoping to scrub away the rancid scent of the woman from his mind, his body.

Sixty minutes later, he finally stepped out of the bathroom feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. As he entered his room, Inuyasha immediately made his way over to his bed and began stripping the sheets off.

Unlike the other sheets, these he would not have the maid wash. He would instead tell her to burn them, and then throw the ashes in a far off dumpster.

Using the towel that he'd dried off with; he balled up the sheets in a tight roll and started to shuffle towards the kitchen, but stopped. Glancing back at the bed, he whispered, his voice condescending, "She's not a whore, eh? Well she sure took the money meant for a whore."

Turning away from the bed, he laughed as he made his way down the hall and into the kitchen. Pulling a large garbage bag out of the cabinet, Inuyasha dropped the sheets and towel in, and then tied it in a tight knot. All the while thinking, _'All women are the fucking same.' _

Standing there butt ass naked, the irritated hanyou pulled a bottle of water out of the refrigerator and chugged it as he strolled over to the huge window and stared out at the skyline. Sparing a moment to glance at the clock on his entertainment center, he immediately noticed it read 9:53 P.M.

He wasn't tired in the least and, more importantly, he had no desire at the moment to dream a little dream of Kikyo.

'_Maybe I'll go for a ride. It has been a while since I've taken the bike out,'_ he thought as he turned away from the window and headed back to his bedroom to throw something on.

The hanyou hadn't always been as cold and pessimistic as he was now. At one time, he was a very caring man. He was a pleaser, someone that would always put everyone else's wants and desires before his own.

Unfortunately, that was a time best left forgotten. It was the reason, in his mind, that he had been used and discarded by the woman he loved. It was a period in his life that he had no desire to go back to.

He knew that his mother would roll over in her grave if she knew that the compassionate son she had raised had turned out like this.

After what he did to that woman, what he said to her, he knew without a doubt that he had finally emerged from his cocoon of deceit and heartbreak as the man he'd promised his mother he would never become.

After pulling on a pair of dark blue, baggy jeans, a gray crewneck sweater and his boots, Inuyasha then grabbed a lithe leather jacket out of the closet and his keys off the counter as he left his condo.

He didn't have the time or the energy to spend on self-reflection. He wasn't an innocent pup anymore; he was now a man. Perhaps, if he'd been this person in the beginning, he wouldn't have gotten his heart broken in the first place.

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

Kagome sat in the far back corner of the dimly lit restaurant, waiting impatiently for her blind date to arrive.

Glancing down at her watch, she snorted, annoyed that her date was 15 minutes late.

Granted, he did have Sango call her to inform her that he was running a few minutes late. Still, that didn't stop her from giving him his first strike of the night, and he only had three to get before she walked away from him and this ghastly idea of a blind date.

Kagome still found it hard to believe that her habitually late assistant had actually made it to work on time every day this week. And on certain occasions she'd even gotten there before she herself did.

'_Is she really that determined to try and change my mind about men, or does she just hate losing?'_ she thought, while taking a sip from the glass of water she'd asked the waiter for.

After their girl's day out and night at the club, Kagome realized that perhaps there was a lot more to the woman called Sango. When she wasn't talking about her sexual encounters with her fiancé, she could actually be rather insightful in regards to affairs of the heart and the happenings of the world around them.

Since that day, she and Sango had taken up speaking on the phone after hours and even ventured out to dinner once or twice during the week. All in all, Kagome saw it as a plus. Besides, hadn't she been here long enough to develop a meaningful relationship with someone, even if it was another woman?

'_At least I'll have something to tell mom the next time I speak with her. Maybe then she'll lay off a little,'_ she thought as she eyed a twenty something old man making his way in her direction.

'_I will not judge him outright. I'll let him hang himself. I will not judge him outright. I'll let him hang himself,'_ she repeated over and over as he drew closer to her.

She was determined to give him nothing to go back to Sango with, since her main goal was showing her friend that she could give a man the benefit of the doubt. He would still do something or say something so fucked up that it would have her running for the hills.

"Kagome?" the young man asked softly as he stepped up to the table and stopped just a few feet away from her.

Taking him in, Kagome noticed that he could damn well use a shave, and in what world was it okay for a man to wear green pin stripe slacks with a pink shirt!? Instead of grimacing like she wanted to, she smiled and nodded her head in agreement as she asked sweetly, "Nobunaga?"

'_His parents must have hated him, to name him something like that,'_ she thought abrasively.

"I'm so glad to finally meet you," he avowed, taking the seat across from her.

'_He doesn't shake my hand; he doesn't bring me flowers… What the hell, is chivalry really dead?' _she thought, but replied to him, "Same here. Did you have a hard time finding the restaurant?"

As he replied with what she knew was pure bullshit, she allowed her eyes to trail slowly over his boyish face and his shaggy black hair. "I see," she responded, not having heard a damn thing the young man said.

"Miroku told me that you're an attorney, what kind of law do you practice?" the young man inquired.

"Corporate law." She wasn't about to go into any further explanations, so she quickly picked up her glass and took a gulp of water, then switched the direction of the questioning to him, "So what do you do for a living?"

Nobunaga puffed out his chest and smiled proudly as he replied, "I'm the assistant manager in training for the Wac Donald's on 31st."

Kagome stared wide-eyed at her date and the proud, almost boastful expression on his face. _'Does he really think that that's impressive? Don't be mean, Kagome, just smile and nod,'_ she thought as she nodded her head slowly and took another sip of her water.

"Would you two like to order?" the waiter asked after refilling Kagome's glass and filling Nobunaga's glass with water.

"Can we have a moment more, please?" Kagome asked, not really wanting to share a meal with this guy. She was hoping to buy enough time so that perhaps he would go ahead and do something so stupid that she would have no other choice but to give him the remaining two strikes.

Staring at Kagome, a dreamy look in his eyes, the young man blushed and stated, "Neither Sango nor Miroku mentioned to me just how pretty you were."

Kagome smiled softly. How could she not? What woman doesn't like to hear compliments about her looks?

Not knowing when to shut his mouth, the young man continued, "My ex was pretty too. Well, actually, gorgeous," he finished with a cheesy smile.

Kagome's face fell. _'Just when I was thinking that maybe it would be alright to break bread with the buffoon, he goes and brings up his Ex! Who the hell brings up their ex on a first date, for Kami's sake?'_ she thought, looking for the sign to the ladies room.

Thinking that maybe if she ignored his comment and talked about something else he'd get the hint, the increasingly agitated woman inquired, "So how do you know Sango and Miroku? Have you all been friends for a long time?"

"Well, I play baseball with Miroku, but I only met Sango once at one of our games."

"I see."

"Yeah, the day we were supposed to go out to dinner with them, my girlfriend told me she didn't want to be with me anymore," Nobunaga continued depressingly.

'_Oh Kami, wait till I rub this in Sango's face! She set me up with this idiot that's still hung up on his goddamn ex!'_ Figuring that she should at least get a little more information from him so that she could do a more thorough job of gloating on Monday, Kagome queried, "When did you and she break up?"

"It was a year and a half ago, but I'm still hoping that she'll come to her senses," the sullen young man replied, as if he was having a conversation with a friend. "I know she still loves me, she just needs some time to sort through her feelings."

'_She's had a fucking year and a half, you moron!' _Kagome wanted to slam her head against the table, but refrained. So he wasn't trying to get in her panties, but he was still wasting her freaking time! "If you're still hung up on your ex like this, why are you here?"

"Well," he stated blushing. "I'm still a man; I have needs like every other red blooded male out there."

'_Tell me he did not just say that,'_ she thought. He had not just told her that he was looking for a free fuck while waiting for the woman of his miserable dreams to come to her senses. _'Maybe this chick, whoever she is, was onto something when she left his dumb ass!'_

That one comment gave the unsuspecting man the two remaining strikes that Kagome had been itching to give him from the moment he sat down at the table.

She'd known from the second that she first laid eyes on him that there wasn't a chance in hell that they would go any further than possible drinks, but now she knew…was certain, that, even if he was sitting before her on fire, she wouldn't piss on him to put the fire out.

Smiling across the table at him, she stated softly, cutting off his babble, "Nobunaga, let me give you a free piece of advice. Even if your intentions are to just find someone to screw, don't tell your unsuspecting 'screw' that!" Reaching in her purse, she pulled out a ten-dollar bill and a twenty-dollar bill. Tossing the twenty in his direction, she continued as she stood to her feet and placed the ten under her glass for the waiter, "Take that and buy your ex some flowers or something. Maybe she'll give you a mercy fuck because you're pathetic."

The bewildered young man set there in dismay, not totally comprehending exactly what had just happened. All he knew was that he now had an extra twenty-dollars in his pocket and still had a cold bed to go home to.

Stepping out into the cool evening air, Kagome pulled her lissome jacket on and headed in the direction of her car. _'One down and two to go,'_ she thought confidently as she rounded the corner and hit the switch to unlock the driver side door.

Setting her purse on the passenger seat, she mumbled to herself as she hit the auto start button for the ignition, "Sango my friend, you are so going to lose this little challenge of yours."

Pulling out of the parking space, she heard tires squealing. Slamming on her brakes as what turned out to be a motorcycle came to a screeching halt next to her, Kagome tried desperately to gain a little control over her rapidly beating heart.

Thankfully they hadn't collided because the idiot didn't even have on a helmet, just a pair of extremely dark shades, which she found weird since it was nighttime.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she yelled out her window at the cyclist who just sat there glaring at her.

She knew it was her fault. She should have been paying attention, but, from the time she was small, whenever she was caught in the wrong she was always the first one to get defensive.

The rider stared at her a moment longer then revved his engine, as if trying to intimidate her.

Kagome glared defiantly back him, daring him to say or do anything. She quickly took note of his lightly tanned skin, his stark white, unreasonably long and untamed hair, and the two little dog-ears on the top of his head.

'_He's a demon or at least half demon,'_ she thought as she inched her hand down to the lock button and pressed it so that all her doors locked at once. Still, she didn't look away…or was it that she couldn't look away?

There was something about this person, this stranger, that screamed danger…excitement. As weird as it was, it turned her on.

The cyclist turned his head slightly and sat back on his seat as he tilted his head slowly to one side. She didn't know if he was going to jump off his bike and come at her or if he was going to just take off, but what she did know was that she shouldn't be feeling excited. If she had any sense, she would've gunned her engine and left before him, but she couldn't…she didn't.

She watched his scowl turn into a mischievous smirk as he flashed her a fangy grin. Flicking out his tongue, he licked his bottom lip then bit down gently on it as if contemplating what to do next. Kagome blinked a few times, feeling like she was in some kind of dream, and then he was gone in a flash through the red light that set a few feet ahead of them.

The young woman sat back in her seat, breathing hard as she listened to her heartbeat pound within her ears. _'What the hell was that about? Why did he look at me like that? Why did…why did this altercation turn me on?' _

She hadn't realized that, for the first time in a long time, her first thought was not that this man was trying to get in her panties. Instead, she quickly took note of the fact that her panties were wetter than they had ever been in her whole sexual life. So much so that she reached under her thin skirt and pulled them off.

'_Get a hold of yourself Kagome, a stranger is not supposed to be able to do something like this to you,'_ she thought as she shoved the offending undergarment in her purse and finished pulling out of the parking space, determined to make it safely home.

Until Next Time…(Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated.) 

Next Chapter: Strangers In The Night


	5. Strangers In The Night

**A/N: Mild Lemon warning!! **I should have titled this chapter, 'Lust' or maybe even 'Desire'. Just to clarify, Inuyasha does not know that Kagome was the same girl from the mall. He wasn't paying attention to her face and he damn sure wasn't close enough to have scented her. On the home front, I might be relocating to Charlotte, NC in July. So during that time the updates maybe slow if at all. That being said; thanks for all of your continued reviews and support and enjoy, my friends.

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**Disclaimer: **I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya. All others belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

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**Chapter 5**

**_Strangers In The Night_**

_'What am I doing here?' Kagome thought as she stared around the lobby area of what she knew was her office building._

_For some reason, this place that she knew so well seemed different, cold-dangerous even. Walking slowly through the room, she stared to her left and her right, looking for someone, anyone that could or would tell her what was going on, but she found no one._

_An eerie feeling came over her, like someone was watching her. The hair on the back of her neck stood up. Chill bumps rose up on her arms and the skin of her legs that weren't covered by the long, thin skirt that she wore. Kagome gasped as the temperature in the room dropped what she knew had to be more than ten degrees._

_Wrapping her arms around herself in an attempt to maintain her body temperature, she continued to walk down the hallway to her office. 'Why do my footsteps sound so loud?' she thought, glancing down at her feet and the red pumps she wore._

'_Red pumps… I don't own a pair of red pumps,' she thought absently._

_Another chill ran through her, causing her to shiver and she froze. 'Is…is someone here? Is someone watching me?' she thought, not wanting to believe what her mind was screaming at her._

"_Hello! Is in anybody here?" she called, somehow already knowing the answer. "Sango, Rin!! Hello, anybody!" she called again. _

_She didn't know why she called for Rin, the only other female partner that worked at her firm. Kagome knew the woman was currently out on maternity leave and had been for the past 2 months. Besides, what help, if any, would she actually give her?_

_Quickening her steps as the door to her office came into view, Kagome exhaled. 'Thank god,' she thought dramatically as she reached for the handle, but froze before she could turn it. _

_She could feel eyes boring into the back of her head. She didn't want to look back; she didn't want to acknowledge whoever it was because she was quite sure that the person had no business being there._

_Of its own accord, her head turned slowly. _

_There he was at the end of the __corridor, __staring at her. There he was with his unnaturally white hair, those two little ears on top of his head, and his tanned skin._

'_What is he doing here? Why is he here?'_

_Unable to look away, she frantically twisted the knob on her office door, but it wouldn't budge._

_Terror gripped her and held her like a lover's embrace. Looking around, she backed away from the door and started walking backwards down the hallway. _

"_What do you want? Who are you?" she yelled._

_He didn't reply, instead he took a few steps towards her and smiled almost menacingly._

_Kagome turned and ran at full speed down the hall, but, the harder and the faster she ran, the longer the hall became. 'What's going on? Why is this happening to me?' she thought, her mind filled with fear. _

_She could feel him drawing closer, could almost feel his breath on her neck, and then she hit a wall that she knew wasn't there a second ago. _

_There was no place for her to go, no doors for her to try, and nowhere for her to hide. It was just the two of them and the air in between and around them._

"_Please just leave me alone. I'm…I'm sorry I caused you to almost wreck your motorcycle! I'm sorry I yelled at you! Please just…just leave me alone!" she shouted desperately._

_He paid her no mind as he slowly and methodically approached her, his arms out at his sides, so that his claws dragged ever so slowly across the walls to either side of him. _

_Once again, Kagome found herself unable to look away. His broad chest mesmerized her. The way his legs twisted outwardly ever so slightly as he walked hypnotized her, causing her supple, dry lips to part as she inhaled, slowly taking in everything about this strange toxic being._

'_I still can't see his eyes. Why the hell can't I see his eyes?' _

_He was right on her, so close that one more step would have him practically on top of her._

"_S-stay away," she mumbled. But, in her heart she knew she wanted him to come closer, to touch her. 'What's wrong with me? Why…'_

_Her words died on her lips, as his hand came up and gently caressed her cheek._

_"What are you doing?" she asked in disbelief_.

_His lips curled into the same mischievous smirk from earlier, and then, before she had time to react, he quickly covered her mouth with his own._

_Kagome didn't know what to think. What was he doing? Why was he kissing her? _

_She pushed against him, but, the more she fought, the closer he pressed against her. The heat of his body pressed firmly against hers caused all common sense to evaporate.__ She felt his tongue slip into her mouth; it was sweet, soft, hot, and too damn inviting._

_Kagome moaned and leaned into his touch, giving in to him willingly. The fear that she had been feeling was replaced by unrestrained desire. It was a yearning…a craving unlike anything she had ever felt. She wanted this stranger…this demon…this dangerous, exotic, inebriating person to take her any and every way he saw fit._

_Pulling away from him effortlessly, she shook her head slowly in a negative fashion, clearly telling him no…but her body, her nether region was slick with juices of wanton lust, desire._

_Grabbing both her hands, he aggressively pinned them over her head as he closed in on her lips once more. He forced her legs apart with his knee while his lips traveled over to her ear and then down her neck, where he bit her gently, repeatedly._

_Kagome allowed her head to lean lazily to the side as a_nother _moan escaped her. She felt his free hand travel down to her waist, but she was too weak to stop him. The only thing she knew at this moment was that this man was giving her what she had needed for so long. _

_His hand slid gently up between her thighs as his claws glided sensually over her tender flesh, sending her spiraling over the edge into an oasis she welcomed. _

_As she tried to lose herself in the feeling of ecstasy that was slowly descending over her, Kagome thought haphazardly, 'Why don't I have…panties on?'_

_All thoughts died instantly as the first of his fingers__slid across her slick nest, then gently…slowly invaded her feminine canal._

"_Pl…please," she moaned as her hips gyrated against his hand, begging him to continue. She wasn't sure what had come over her or why she was allowing him to do these intimate things to her, but she knew with every fiber of her body that she desperately wanted it…needed it._

_She felt him insert another finger and another one as he found the perfect rhythm, inciting electrical shocks within her that traveled throughout her body, beginning in her abdomen and spreading outward._

_He plucked at her womanhood, toyed with her g-spot, pushed her to the brink and then pulled her right back. _

_Kagome felt like she was losing her mind…like she was delirious with this unbelievable feeling of euphoria. "Oh God, please!" she begged, throwing her head back and arching her breasts towards him. _

_She gyrated hard against his hand, wanting, needing, and demanding the end she desired._

_His lips found hers again and she sucked on his tongue possessively…aggressively, while she tried to sink her nails into the back of his leather jacket. _

_She was silently demanding he give her everything she deserved, everything that she had been denied._

_Her body shook uncontrollably as tremor after tremor rocked her to her very core, causing her to scream out in agony drenched pleasure, "Please, God please! Yes, yes, yes!"_

_As her orgasm died down, she watched through fog-hazed eyes as he stepped back away from her, a gloatingly boastful smirk on his face. _

_Lifting the fingers of the hand that had just been buried within her to his lips, he slowly sucked her juices free from each one._

_Kagome panted breathlessly and blinked a few times as she collapsed weakly to her knees. It was like a dream… It had to be a dream because the moment she looked up, he was gone._

"No, don't go!" she screamed as she sat up on her bed, breathing hard.

Shaking her head, she looked around the room and realized immediately that it was all a fucking dream, just a dream and nothing more.

Feeling the wetness pooling between her legs, Kagome ran her fingers gently over the slits of her secret passage and sighed dejectedly, _'It was a wet dream. I had a wet dream about a stranger on a motorcycle, who I almost killed.'_ Pulling the covers up around her waist, she stared out her bedroom window and wondered for the umpteenth time that night, _'Who was he and why am I still thinking about him?'_

After she left the scene of the earth-moving encounter, she came straight home. Once she had parked in the secure covered garage, she got in the elevator that would take her to her floor, but as she pushed the button her heart almost stopped.

She could've sworn that she heard someone revving their engine outside and, if she knew the difference between a motorcycle and a car engine, which she did, she was sure that it was definitely a motorcycle.

At the time, just the thought that he may have followed her scared the wretched hell out of her. But, as she opened and closed her apartment door, locking it behind her, she couldn't help the intoxicatingly arousing feeling that came over her as well.

Even now, thinking back to that made her feel stimulated and stupid all at the same time. How could she let a stranger that she knew absolutely nothing about invade her mind and her body in such away?

After cleaning herself off with a Kleenex, Kagome laid back down and pulled her covers up around her neck.

Staring out the window at the bright moon, she thought sadly, _'It's better this way. I'll dream about him and maybe think about him every now and again…as long as I don't know him and he doesn't know me, there's no way that he can hurt me.' _

_

* * *

_

**_Simonkal of Inuy_**

* * *

Walking through the door of his condo, Inuyasha tossed his keys on the counter and shook off his leather jacket. Laying it over the back of the nearest chair, he tried to keep himself from thinking about the woman that he'd almost collided with, but found it was like pulling teeth from a toothless man. It just wasn't happening.

Initially, he'd been pissed that she'd almost caused him to wreck and then had the audacity to yell at him like it was his fault. His mind told him to call her every fucking name in the book, but he couldn't for some reason.

He wasn't quite sure what had happened, but then he heard her lock her doors as if she thought he was going to do something to her. At that moment, he thought about jumping off his bike and pretending he was going to attack her, just for the hell of it of course.

Then it happened; her scent changed from anger to arousal. It was the damnedest thing really.

He'd been wondering why she was staring at him, which caused him to immediately think that she was mentally belittling him or making fun of him because he was a hanyou…but her scent… Gods, her scent bespoke of someone in heat and he knew that it was directed at him because they were the only two people there.

It was so fucking mesmerizing…so overwhelming that, for a moment there; he wasn't sure what he was supposed to be doing.

For a very brief, delicious second, he wanted to bend her over his bike and take her right then and there. No questions asked, no names given, no words spoken, he just wanted her like he'd never wanted anyone in his whole god damn life.

He didn't care that it would make him appear no better than the slut he'd just fucked. For one moment inside her, he'd be that.

'_What the fuck was that about?'_ he thought, still trying to act as if it hadn't happened…as if he hadn't felt a connection with the loud mouthed bitch.

Her scent called to him, suffocated him, clogged his nostrils so much so that, even after he'd driven off, it forced him to double back which was the weirdest part of the night.

Inuyasha wasn't sure what he would say or do had she still been there and thank god she wasn't.

As he neared the scene of the almost accident, the hanyou pulled over just in time to watch her drive away and, just like the crazy ass stalker which he knew he wasn't, he was on her tail.

The entire time, he kept asking himself, "What the hell am I doing? Why am I following this bitch?" And each time the answer came to him on the wind. It was her scent; that sweet, spicy, and exhilarating aroma.

He'd never smelt anything like it in all the years that he'd been living, and, for some reason, he was quite sure that he never would again.

He'd watched from a block away as she pulled into the garage of her condo complex. At that moment, he openly laughed at himself. How the hell could a strange woman that was probably running home to her husband and children capture his senses in such away?

His senses hadn't even been this in tune with Kikyo, and that was saying a lot.

After giving her a few minutes to get inside, he then pulled up to the entrance of the garage and revved his engine. Why he did that, he hadn't a clue. Maybe subconsciously he wanted her to know he was there, or maybe, just maybe, he wanted to scare the living shit out of her.

After that little incident, one would think that he would've gone home, but he didn't. Instead he parked his bike and followed her scent up the stairs to her door.

Standing there staring at the gold numbers, 2325, that stared back at him, Inuyasha felt like nothing less than a predator.

The feeling that came over him was, quite honestly, inexplicable. How could her scent cast such a spell on him? It was like a banshee calling him to his death and there wasn't a damn thing he could do to resist it.

Don't get him wrong, he didn't want a relationship. He just wanted, needed-desperately needed-to fuck her…to be near her or, better yet, in her.

Sure, this sounded rather crude, but he was half Inu youkai; scent was what they lived and died by. It was what they trusted more than sight itself.

After standing there for more than a few minutes, breathing in the remnants of her scent and feeling like a perverted freak, Inuyasha finally left, hence his reason for getting back home after one o'clock in the morning.

The hanyou still couldn't believe that he'd done that. What the hell was wrong with him? He'd never done anything even remotely similar with any of the few women that he dated before Kikyo. And to top it off, hadn't he just sworn off women of all color, creed, and shape?

'_I'm losing my fucking mind,'_ he thought, pulling off his sweater and tossing it on the floor.

Kicking off his boots, he then unfastened his belt and unbuckled his jeans. _'Who is she?'_ he wondered again, for the millionth time, as he slouched down on the couch, his head hung low.

Shaking his head, the hanyou stood to his feet quickly and tried to shake off the memory of the woman whose face refused to leave his mind.

'_I don't give a shit about her or who she is. I just want to bottle up her scent, that's all. It's just her fucking scent that I need, fuck who she is!'_ he thought trying to make himself believe that there was nothing else about her that he found even remotely enticing.

It damn sure wasn't her perfectly defined face or the lovely shade of chocolate brown that stared back at him. He was god damn sure it wasn't the way her supple, perfect lips pouted just before she screamed at him. Nope, it couldn't be any of this that had him craving a fucking stranger.

_'It's just her scent, that's all.'_

Inuyasha thought about going into his room, but he quickly remembered the whore he'd screwed earlier that night. No, he definitely wasn't going back in there until the maid had a chance to fumigate it.

Turning on his heels, he went into the closest guest room and laid down.

Come to think about, he didn't know why he had two guest rooms; it wasn't like he had family or friends that came over to stay.

He'd been thinking about turning it into an office, but then he put it off because, after the wedding, Kikyo was supposed to be moving in. He figured he'd just let her handle it.

Inuyasha's thoughts stopped immediately. What had just happened there? Did he just think about Kikyo and not think cunt, trick, bitch, slut or whore?

_'What the hell is going on?'_ he thought, staring up at the ceiling.

Running his hand down his bare chest, he told himself to not think about her at all, and just like that his mind was filled with thoughts of the woman with the all too damn intoxicating aroma.

Honestly, the hanyou didn't want to think about her either, but she was the lesser of two evils, wasn't she?

She wasn't the one that hurt him. She hadn't tricked him into marrying her and she damn sure hadn't made a fool of him in front of 200 people, including the Paparazzi.

Hell, he didn't even know her name or what she did. What harm could be done if he spent a few minutes thinking about her? What would it hurt if he took a few moments here and there imagining her bent over in various, mind-blowing positions?

It's not like she knew him or had weaseled her way into his life or something. She was just a stranger, a nameless, sweet smelling stranger that had unknowingly dragged him all the way to the other side of town by his dick.

There was no possible way that she could hurt…betray him because she didn't know that he existed.

Inuyasha rolled over onto his side and sighed contentedly for the first time in five months. As he drifted off to sleep, he had no idea that, for the first time in ages, he would have no dreams of betrayal. Instead, he would dream only of her. The women he didn't know, but, subconsciously, desperately needed to know.

**Until Next Time**…(Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated.)

Next Chapter: Sessions for the Heart


	6. Sessions For The Heart

**A/N:** All characters will be walking that fine line of OOCness!! Beware of crude language!! Wow, I really have to slow down these updates, I'm starting to catch up with myself. I can hardly believe how this story has taken off. Initially, I thought no one would read it or give it a chance because the concept had already been beaten half to death. Thanks for allowing me to give my own distinct spin on things. Everyone keeps asking me when will Kagome and Inu meet, well, things are not that simple. You have two very jaded people that are living two separate lives with separate friends. I'm not the type of Author to rush things just because that's what's requested. If I did that, this fic would become a little too damn cheesy and I hate cheesy. So trust me, when they meet it will be realistic and with a freaking bang!! That being said; enjoy and thanks for reading and reviewing.

**FYI:** 'Ain't' is used on purpose in this chapter.

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**Disclaimer:** As usual I don't claim ownership to anyone, with the exception of Nya and Dr. Aikio. All others belong to the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi.

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**Chapter 6:**

_**Sessions for the Heart**_

Inuyasha sighed as he glanced around the overly comfortable looking room. Everything was placed just perfectly, making it feel like someone's living room instead of an office.

'_How in the hell did I let her talk me into this bullshit?' _he thought, hating himself for letting his brother's genuinely too sweet wife influence him in such away.

He sighed again as he allowed his eyes to travel over the beige micro fiber sofa that sat across from a high backed recliner with a small table sitting in between.

Glancing up at the pale walls, he grunted and rolled his eyes as he read quickly over what he supposed were meant to be words of inspiration, and then turned his focus on a few pictures of influential people long dead and forgotten.

It wasn't the first time he'd been here, but every time he came back he always felt uncomfortable, like he was a fish out of water or a rat in a snake pit.

Before his sham of a marriage happened, Inuyasha would've laughed at the idea of seeing a therapist, but when Rin approached him with tears in her gentle brown eyes and her soft words of concern, he couldn't say no.

Regardless of how he felt about women in general, he had to admit that his brother's wife was definitely in a league of her own. The woman could bat her eyelids or smile at you and make you bend to her will without one word.

So, it went without saying that when she came to him and said that she was worried about him and thought that he should see someone one…talk to someone, he told her to make the appointment and he'd go.

Maybe part of him didn't believe that she was actually serious, or maybe the conscious part of his mind that would have told her, 'Hell no,' was asleep that day. He didn't know which it was, but he did know that it had been three months since then and he'd been to this goddamn office a total of 6 times!

"Twice a fucking month," he mumbled as he took a seat on the couch.

It was Saturday morning for gods' sake. Most people were taking advantage of the weekend and sleeping in, but he was here, waiting for the nosey bastard that called himself a licensed relationship therapist.

'_Why in the fuck do I need a 'relationship therapist'? It ain't like I'm in a fucking relationship with anybody,'_ he thought with a loud snort.

Checking his watch, Inuyasha sat back on the couch and impatiently began tapping his right foot. '_This bastard is charging me an arm, a leg, and my first born on an hourly basis and he has the fucking audacity to be late?'_

Just then, the door opened and in walked Dr. Aikio. He was an older, balding gentleman that stood about 5'5" and weighed around 200 pounds or so.

One would think that, being in the profession he was in, he'd have some sense of the importance of time, but he didn't. He did everything slow. He talked slow, walked slow, swallowed slow, and even blinked slow, believe it or not.

"Takahashi…Inuyasha, how nice…to see you again," the older gentleman acknowledged as he hobbled across the floor, slowly.

Inuyasha glared dangerously at the man out of the corner of his eye as he debated quietly whether to get up, pick the man up, and put him in his seat. "You're 10 minutes late! I ain't paying for a whole hour!"

The older man smiled softly as he finally made it to his chair and sat down. "Forgive my tardiness, I had a patient that had an emergency."

"Feh, whatever," Inuyasha replied dourly as he sat back and stared at the man whom, he was sure, was slowly pulling out his notepad and pen in hopes of jotting down more of his innermost private thoughts. 'Nosey fucking bastard.'

"Takahashi-san, so, where were we?" the therapist asked as he flipped slowly through the pages of his book. "Ah, yes, we'd just gotten through the reception, yes?" Not waiting for a reply, he finished, "You were telling me that the reception was perfect and you and Kikyo were headed to your hotel suite for the night, is that right?"

"Look old man, I don't need you rehashing old fucking memories, okay? I know what the fuck I said and I know what I didn't say. Just get your shit together and let's get this over with," Inuyasha demanded abrasively.

He didn't care that he was being rude to someone that could've easily been his father's father. He was annoyed. He had gotten up at 8 to be here on time, only to have this 'ass' come in late. Then there was the dream he was having about the nameless woman; he secretly decided to call Enchantress, since that was exactly what she'd done to him. Not to mention the sleep he'd had last night was the best sleep he'd had in seven fucking months!!

Dr. Aikio ignored Inuyasha's brash comment and stated, "The last time I…saw you…you were also about to…go out on a blind date. How'd that go?"

The hanyou sat back and stared at the man. He'd never get used to someone dipping in his business in such away. Sure the man was supposed to help him, that's what Rin had said anyway, but he only saw a nosey ass prick with a license to pry into other people's affairs!

"Feh, it was a date."

"Are you going to see her again?"

"Not on 'your' life, doc."

"Was it really that bad, Takahashi-san?"

"Look, I've told you before, drop the Takahashi-san shit," Inuyasha snapped irritably. He hated when anyone formalized his name. If he wasn't dealing with clients, then he was just Inuyasha, the hanyou and nothing else. Why couldn't this slow fucking turtle get that through his baldhead?

"Okay…Inu…yasha, why won't you be seeing the young lady again?"

The hanyou growled, and hissed through clenched teeth, "Because I don't fucking want to, okay? Now stop asking stupid ass questions that you already know the answer to!"

Setting his notepad down, Dr. Aikio sat back slowly in his chair and sighed softly. He'd been meeting with Takahashi Inuyasha for three months and every time it was the same thing. He knew the reason why he'd come to him, but for some reason the hanyou was reluctant to even brush the surface of anything dealing with the infamous Kikyo.

Usually they would go back and forth. He'd ask him a few questions about his private life, why he felt so jilted, or did he think he did anything to deserve this, and the hanyou would tell him to go straight to hell and the session would end. That's how it had been for the first 4 visits, but, miraculously, everything changed during their last session.

Inuyasha had actually told him about the wedding. He'd even gone as far as describing the dress his bride was wearing and the colors that she'd chosen, even the music that was playing. But, for some reason, when he got to the part where the reception came to a close, the hanyou clammed up. He just got up and walked out of the office, ending their session 20 minutes early.

"Inuyasha, why are you so angry? I don't think I've ever seen you quite this upset before." Leaning forward slightly, a concerned frown marring his wrinkled brow, Dr. Aikio finished, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Inuyasha glared at the man. _'No I don't want to fucking talk about it! I want to carry my ass back to my side of town,'_ he thought heatedly as he stood to his feet and walked over to the window.

The hanyou knew he could leave whenever he wanted to, but he also knew that, if he did, he'd feel like he'd some how let Rin down. So he would have to swallow his pride the same way he had done every other Saturday that he'd come here and talk about things he really didn't want anyone else to know.

"I'm just tired, I guess," he mumbled almost incoherently as he ran his hand down his face. He knew it was a lie, but it was as good as any other excuse, wasn't it?

Dr. Aikio asked rhetorically, "I guess you're still having those dreams, eh?"

Shoving his hands in his pockets, Inuyasha grunted, but didn't verbally reply as he continued to stare out the window at the slowly waking city below.

"Inuyasha, have you ever told anyone what happened in the room between you and Kikyo?"

Shoving his hands deeper into his pockets, he replied softly, "No."

"Why is that?"

The hanyou didn't respond, instead he shrugged his shoulders in an 'I-don't-know' fashion and continued to stare out the window.

Dr. Aikio stared at the hanyou without saying a word. He had figured as much. It definitely did explain why the hanyou kept reliving the wedding ceremony when he slept, but never the actual break up.

Quite honestly, the doctor felt that the ceremony was the only part of the day that Inuyasha was willing to face. It was the only part of the wedding that everyone already knew. It was the only part that went off without a hitch, for lack of a better word. So, when the hanyou slept, his subconscious mind contorted that part, leaving out certain things and adding different altercations, each one more hideous than the next.

It was his subconscious's way of trying to get him to face the truth of what she said to him, what he said to her, and in the end, hopefully, forcing him to face the real reason why she left him the way she had. Maybe then, if he finally faced the truth, he'd be able to begin to heal, instead of burying the things he couldn't deal with and pushing away the only family and the few friends he had.

"Takahashi… I mean, Inuyasha, you know that whatever you say to me will go no further than these four walls," the older gentlemen stated softly, as if he was afraid someone was listening. Turning slightly in his chair, he stared at his withdrawn patient's back and waited for a response, any type of response that would tell him that the hanyou was at least still in the same hemisphere as him.

Inuyasha continued to stare out into the world in front of him. He'd heard the doctor clearly, but just couldn't bring himself to walk back into that hotel room, revisit that last conversation. I couldn't watch her, in his mind's eye, walk away from him again.

He could feel his eyes begin to water just a little as her voice hummed in his head, _"Inuyasha, I'm sorry…I…I can't do this. I…I…I'm sorry."_ His fists clenched, unbeknownst to him, as he bit down on his lower lip in hopes of stilling the tears that tried desperately to find release.

Lowering his head, the sullen hanyou tried to inconspicuously rub his eyes while thanking the heavens above that this so-called therapist was not a youkai. Otherwise, he'd know by his scent alone that he was hurting. He'd know that just the thought of reliving that night was enough break… shatter his already fragile heart and mind.

When she'd left, she left him feeling decimated, destroyed, and neutered even. She'd left him feeling like nothing more than an empty abandoned house, sitting on deserted land waiting to be demolished.

That night was the longest night in his life. Inuyasha had sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the door, praying that she would walk back in and say she was sorry. He hoped and prayed that she would walk back in and say that she was joking or that she was a fool for even considering leaving him. But she never came back. In the seven months that had passed, she'd never even called to see if he was alive or dead.

"_Inuyasha, I'm sorry. I thought…I thought I didn't… but I…"_ He couldn't finish that thought; he couldn't allow her voice to replay the truth again. Hearing it once was enough, wasn't it?

Inuyasha sighed and allowed his head to rest against the cool windowpane. When she'd finally said it… When she'd finally spoken the words that twisted his guts, his stomach, and his heart into a trillion tight, impotent knots, it had taken everything in him not to collapse to his knees and weep. He wanted to… He tried repeatedly to beg her, plead with her to not leave him like this, but he could barely move, let alone speak.

"Kikyo," he whispered softly. Allowing his head to bounce a few times against the window, he mumbled repeatedly, softly, "I can't… I can't… I can't… I can't…do this." The pain of that night was just too much for him to revisit so soon. He knew that eventually he would have to, but did it have to be now?

Dr. Aikio sat silent, watching his patient's movement closely and listening intently to what he was sure the hanyou thought only he could hear.

He could see in Inuyasha's mannerisms that he was silently reliving that night and he could tell that he was doing his best to keep it together, but was failing miserably.

Standing slowly to his feet, he spoke softly so as not to jar the damaged young man, "What can't you do, Inuyasha?"

On queue, the hanyou stuttered, "I can't...I can't keep coming back here, reliving that day. I…I can't keep thinking about her...talking about her. I don't want to think about her anymore."

Dr. Aikio could actually hear the untamed pain in his patient's voice and it made him want more than anything to help him, but how could he when he didn't really know the full, unadulterated story?

"Maybe it's time that you tell someone what it is that you can't keep reliving, Inuyasha. Sometimes, just having someone to talk to is the best therapy." Smiling softly, he finished, "Perhaps that's the real reason that Rin-sama sent you to me. Maybe she knew that you would never actually talk about that night, and perhaps, if you knew that your story was safe with me, you'd allow me to help you…or at least listen to you."

Inuyasha turned so that his back was pressed up against the window. He didn't have the strength to look up. His chest felt tight, his palms sweaty, and his mind felt jumbled and confused. He wanted this to stop! He wanted to deal with this once and for all! But could he trust this man? Would he laugh at him and taunt him once the truth was told? Would he belittle him just like the people in his dreams had?

Sighing heavily, he glanced up at the doctor, his eyes heavy and unfocused. What did he have to lose, really? Maybe…maybe if he told him, maybe he'd feel just a little bit better.

Inuyasha truly didn't believe that this guy would be able to do a damn thing to help him, but perhaps if he did actually say it out loud, it would get a little easier to deal with.

"Kikyo was… She was everything that I knew I wasn't entitled to," Inuyasha began slowly. "The first time I saw her, she mesmerized me with her smile," he continued with a soft, hesitant chuckle. "She had the most beautiful eyes and her skin… Man her skin was the creamiest, smoothest white I'd ever seen in my life, and her lips… She was like my very own personal Geisha doll." He was quiet for a minute, and then he finished, "That's what I used to call her. My Geisha doll."

Dr. Aikio didn't move a muscle, too afraid that any movement would send the hanyou back into his shell of solitude.

"Her mother was Japanese, but her father, he was American. I actually met her on one of my business trips to California. It was crazy how we met, though. I was lost in L.A. and stumbled upon her, literally. She happened to be off that day, so she acted as my personal navigator, taking me everywhere I needed to go. When I came back to Japan, we talked for a few months over the phone, but then the distance became a little too much and she relocated here to be closer to me." Inuyasha sighed lightly, and then continued, "When she did that, I couldn't believe it. She was actually moving half way around the world for me, a hanyou."

Looking at the doctor who was still standing near the chair with his arms crossed, Inuyasha continued, "Things were great between us. For the first time in my life, I knew I was in love. I actually thought that if I looked up happiness in the dictionary, I'd see her picture. I use to joke around with her and say that if she ever left me, I'd die." Inuyasha chuckled dryly. "I didn't know how true that was, until she actually did leave me though." Silence reigned for a few moments, and then he finished, "For a while there…I thought about killing myself. I…I thought that if I didn't, the pain would."

Looking away then back again, Inuyasha asked, "Doc, can someone really die from a broken heart? I'd always thought it was an old wives' tale, but now I'm not so sure."

Shuffling across the room, the hanyou didn't wait for a reply as he sat down on the couch, his elbows resting on his knees. "I thought she was so perfect. In my eyes, she could do no wrong. She was my Kikyo…my world. The fucking air that I breathed. She was everything to me. I trusted her… I trusted her with every fiber of my being." He chuckled half-heartedly as he continued, "If she told me that pigs were flying past the window, I would've believed her without hesitation." Knowing how stupid that sounded, he shrugged his shoulders and stated, "She was Kikyo, if I couldn't trust her, I couldn't trust anyone.

As he listened, Dr. Aikio could see the hanyou's heart in his words. This woman, Kikyo, had stolen his heart, his very soul. She had enraptured him with her words and made it so that his entire world, his life revolved…consisted only of her. He was totally and without a shadow of a doubt in love with her.

For the first time, Dr. Aikio could relate, in someway, as to why the hanyou acted emotionally detached and reckless.

Running his hand over his face and down his neck, Inuyasha's smile turned into a deep frown. "My brother, Sesshomaru, he didn't like her from the moment he met her. He always told me that something was off about her. He'd said on more than one occasion that she was pretending to be something she wasn't, but Rin, she liked her well enough, so I was okay with that. Besides, Sesshomaru barely likes me and I'm his own blood."

"Anyway, we dated for maybe a year and half before I finally proposed and she said yes." Sitting back, he smiled up at the ceiling as he continued, "I thought I was going to die that day. I couldn't believe it. The woman of my dreams had said yes, she would marry me. I was in hog heaven. The flowers were blooming; hell, the world was at peace in my eyes."

Inuyasha was quiet for a moment, as if he was thumbing through the files in his head for what he should say next. His voice dropped to almost a whisper as he continued with his tale, "She started planning the wedding almost immediately. I'd never seen her so happy before. She was actually ecstatic. She'd call me at work talking a mile a minute about a dress she'd seen in a store window or had tried on. If she'd found something that she thought she could only get in the States, she'd scream excitedly in my ear for 2 minutes straight."

Dr. Aikio could see the hanyou's eyes begin to tear up as he spoke but not one fell. He watched silently as he continued to speak, his voice soft, just above a whisper, his lips trembling with every word that fell from between them. He could also see the happiness in the hanyou's face and the glow of life slowly flash within his eyes as he spoke of this enigma, called Kikyo.

Yes, the hanyou was definitely in love with this woman, but now for one sad reason or the other, he was paying the price for wanting…desiring what every other red-blooded living soul craved, needed, and begged for.

Glancing up at the clock on the wall, Inuyasha stated, "Well my time is up, I guess we'll finish this next time."

"No, no, don't…worry about it! We've just made a…huge breakthrough in your therapy, whoever is waiting will just have to wait," Dr. Aikio declared, stopping him. "Finish your story; you've earned that much already."

Reluctantly, the hanyou continued, "I don't have anything new to say about the wedding, except it was everything she'd dreamed of. It was a young girl's fantasy come to life. I spared nothing for her. If she wanted something flown in, it was flown in. If she wanted a rare flower for her bouquet, I hired men to hunt down the grower of that flower and I paid top dollar for it. Yeah, the wedding, it was straight out of a Cinderella story. Too bad it wasn't enough to make her stay."

Dr. Aikio sat down, knowing that he was only moments from getting to the heart of the hanyou's emotional troubles. To stop now would be nothing less than imprudent. Surely on their next visit he wouldn't be this open, this willing to allow someone-him, in like this.

"After the reception… After we… After me and my… After Kikyo and I said our goodbyes, we decided that we'd turn in early, because we had an early flight out in the morning." Inuyasha chewed on his lower lip a little, then finished, "We were supposed to spend a week in Australia and then a week in Hawaii, but…"

The hanyou stopped as the sound of her voice took over every inch of his brain, causing him to visibly shudder. "Inuyasha, please…please try to understand. I…I never meant to hurt you. I…I just can't… I've tried… I swear I have, but…"

Inuyasha felt his insides recoil as he stood quickly to his feet. It was too soon…this was too much, just too much. He didn't have the strength or the emotional fortitude to face that night or her memory, just yet. Maybe…maybe he'd spoken too much already.

"Inuyasha, are you okay?" Dr. Aikio queried, noticing his patient's visible change in demeanor.

Already on his feet, Inuyasha walked quickly to the door. His hand grasping the handle, he spoke without turning around to face his elder, "I'm not ready to face her just yet, doc. Maybe… Maybe next time."

With that, he opened and closed the door quickly behind him. His pace was quick, almost a trot as he made his way to the elevators. He was determined to get away from the sound her voice, her soft laughter, the smell of her skin…her hair…her breath.

_'I can't keep doing this. I…I can't keep running away from her,'_ he thought as the elevator doors closed and he pushed the button for the garage and what his mind saw as freedom.

**Until Next Time**…(Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated)

**Next Chapter:** Girls Night In


	7. Girl's Night In

**A/N:** As always, all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness, and Sango will be leaping directly over it. This is the first long one, but it's worth it, trust me!! Crude language will follow, so you have been warned!!

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**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership to anyone, with the exception of Nya, and Dr. Aikio. All others belong to Rumiko Takahashi/Viz.

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**Chapter 7**:

_**Girl's Night In**_

Jagged Little Pill, by Alanis Morissette, hummed in the speakers of Kagome's built-in stereo system. The blinds on the windows were pulled back, allowing the moonlight to shine into the room; this went unnoticed by the two females chattering away in the kitchen as they prepared snacks for their girl's night in.

Kagome dropped the knife she had been using in the sink and twirled around happily. "I love this song!" she shouted as she ran into the living room and turned up the volume.

Grabbing a candlestick off the table, she turned to face the window as she tapped her foot and shook her shoulders to the rhythm while waiting for the lyrics to begin. Spinning around, she began softly, her eyes closed and her free hand in the air, "I want you to know, that I'm happy for you. I wish nothing but…the best…for you both. An older version of me… Is she perverted like me? Would she go down on you in a theatre? Does she speak eloquently and would she have your baby? I'm sure she'd make a really excellent mother." All the while she rocked her hips from right to left as she dipped lower and lower to the ground.

Sango stared on in amazement at how comfortable her boss turned friend was around her now. One would think that they'd been friends forever. Grinning, she shouted, "Sing it girl," as she watched Kagome run her hands down over her chest to her hips, which were still rocking in time with the beat.

Allowing her friend to egg her on, Kagome brought the crystal candle holder up to her mouth and continued with the lyrics as if it was her very own song, "Cause the love that you gave, that we made, wasn't able to make it enough for you to be open wide…no! And every time you speak her name, does she know how you told me, you'd hold me until you died, till you died, but you're still alive!"

Dropping to her knees, Kagome rocked her hips back and forth and gyrated against the air as she continued with the chorus line, "And I'm here…to remind you…of the mess you left when you went away! It's not fair…to deny me…of the cross I bear that you gave to me! You, you, you oughta know!"

Sango stared at Kagome, a soft smile on her face. _'Maybe we've had two too many glasses of wine,'_ she thought as she downed the last of her wine and sat her glass down. Grabbing a stirring spoon, she ran to join her friend as the next verse hummed over the speakers. "You seem very well… Things look peaceful… I'm not quite as well; I thought you should know. Did you forget about me, Mr. Duplicity? I hate to bug you in the middle of dinner! It was a slap in the face how quickly I was replaced. And are you thinking of me when you fuck her?" Sango finished with a rock of her hips in an attempt to imitate the sexual act itself.

Kagome stood up and giggled at her friend as she swayed sensually to the beat. Allowing the pulse of the music to take her over once more, she danced over to Sango as the chorus came on again.

Standing back to back, the two women sang at the top of their lungs and grooved with the tempo as their hips took a dip to the right, then another to the left.

Stepping away from Sango, Kagome shimmied at her reflection and sang the next verse as the lyrics of the song started to hit a little too damn close to home. Her shimmy slowed to a mere tremor as the words floated to her one syllable, vowel, noun, and pronoun at a time.

Cause the joke that you laid on the bed that was me…

'_I was his joke. Everytime that we made love… Everytime that he fucked me, he was laughing at me! Everytime I screamed his damn name… Everytime I cried over him… I'm stupid, so fucking stupid! How could I be so goddamn blind?_'

And I'm not gonna fade

As soon as you close your eyes, and you know it!

'_I faded. I disappeared without making him pay for what he did to me. I…I ran like a coward. I…I let him drive me away. I…I fucking faded. I faded…disappeared as if I never fucking existed in his miserable little life!'_

And every time I scratch my nails down someone else's back  
I hope you feel it! Well, can you feel it?

'_No he can't fucking feel it! I'm so goddamn pathetic; I haven't been with anyone since him! If I was a bitch, I would've… I should've fucked Ginta or Hakkaku in his fucking bed!'_ Kagome snorted as her thought finished, _'Maybe I should've fucked both of them at the same time and recorded it, so that he could watch it later!' _

She knew she was full of shit. She could never lower herself to such despicable and whorish tactics. However, it did make her feel just a little bit better just imagining the look on his face if she were to allow his two best friends to screw her in every orifice of her body and in whichever position suited them best.

And I'm here…to remind you  
Of the mess you left when you went away  
It's not fair to deny me  
Of the cross I bear that you gave to me  
You, you, you ought a know!

The song ended and Sango spun around in a tight circle, laughing her head off. She'd always been a very carefree person, but it had been an extremely long time since she had done anything as childish as this.

"Kagome, you have to burn me a copy of this CD! I've heard this song on the American stations that my satellite radio picks up, but I really love this Morissette woman! She's deep!"

Kagome continued to stare out the window at the city without seeing it. All she saw was his deep blue…electric blue orbs staring back at her. She saw his jet-black hair waving in the wind. His chivalrous smile that always allowed her just glimpse of the same fangs that tickled her flesh when they made love.

She growled at the image of him that taunted her, teased her and caused her heart rate to increase and her palms to become sweaty.

Slamming her fist against the window, Kagome screamed, "I hate you! I hate you! You…you fucking bastard! I hope you die, you coward…you whoring, sorry bastard!" Slamming her fist against it once more, she hissed as angry tears came to her eyes and her knees collapsed beneath her, "You bastard. How…how could you do that to me? How could you just toss me away as if I was nothing? How could you lie to me like that?"

Sango dropped what she was doing and ran to her friend. "Kagome! Kagome, are you all right?"

There was no response.

Kneeling beside her friend, who was now shivering as if cold, Sango brushed her hair back away from her face and asked again as she checked Kagome's hands for cuts or abrasions, "Kagome?"

Kagome didn't know what to do or to say to her friend. How would she explain this? How could she explain this? Was there an explanation that the too inquisitive young woman would believe?

Looking up at Sango, she knew she couldn't lie to her. She remembered how over the past weeks, she had been there for her. How she had slowly helped to make her world livable again. Sango was her one true friend in this place full of faces she didn't know and didn't care to know.

Quite honestly, Kagome was tired of lying…hiding the truth. She wanted to let out this anger, this rage that she could feel festering within her. It dug relentlessly at her heart and her soul. She was tired of suffering. She was tired, extremely tired, of living with this guilt that wasn't rightfully hers to begin with.

'_I can trust her. I know I can,'_ she thought as a tear trailed slowly down her cheeks. _'She won't judge me for something I had no choice in. She won't hate me and think that I'm an awful person. She won't, I know she won't.'_

Sango didn't know what was going on in the distraught woman's head, but she did know that, whatever it was, she needed a shoulder to lean on. Wiping away the tear that trailed down Kagome's face, she whispered jokingly, in hopes of getting her to laugh, "Thank God that window of yours is triple-paned." Having received the proper reaction, she continued, "Do you need another glass of wine?"

Wiping her runny nose with the back of her hand, Kagome laughed lightly and nodded as she pushed herself up so that she was leaning back against the window.

"Stay here, I'm going to get two glasses of your finest and we can talk about whatever you want to, okay?"

Kagome looked up at her hesitantly. _'Can I really trust her?'_ she thought, second-guessing herself. She watched as Sango entered the kitchen and popped open another bottle of wine, and then grabbed her cell phone with her free hand. _'Yes, yes I can definitely trust her.'_

After dialing the number she'd know if she was deaf, dumb, blind and stupid, Sango waited while the phone rang three times in her ear.

"Oi babe," Miroku acknowledged happily.

"Oi yourself. Do you miss me?"

"From the moment you walked out the door," he replied seriously, then added, "You know, I've been playing with myself all night. When are you coming home?"

Staring over at her friend, who was still slouched against the window, Sango sighed into the phone as she began pouring the wine.

"Sango? Is everything okay? You are coming home, aren't you?"

"Yes, yes baby, of course," she replied as she turned around and placed the re-corked bottle back in to the small wine cooler. "I might not be home tonight, if that's okay?" She could hear Miroku switch the phone to his opposite hand and sit up in what she knew was their bed.

"Not come home tonight?" he mimicked.

"It's Kagome. She needs a friend."

"Well I need 'my' friend too," Miroku teased playfully.

"I'll tell you what. Let her have me tonight, and you can have me anyway you want tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, and for the rest of your life, okay?"

Miroku laughed then queried, "Is that a promise?"

"You know it is," she retorted, grinning from ear to ear. She knew he'd understand.

"Alright, remember you said that because, when you walk through the door tomorrow, I want you buck naked and bent over the chair, you hear?"

Sango giggled. If he were in front of her, she probably would've playfully hit him or something. Lowering her voice, she whispered, "Of course, baby; anyway you want it."

Miroku chuckled, and then stated seriously, "Go head and take care of your friend. I know if you're resorting to staying out tonight it must be serious."

"I love you, baby."

"You better," he quipped. "Oh, and I mean it; I want you buck naked the minute you walk through the door."

Sango giggled again and clicked the off button on her phone. She didn't need to respond to that since she was quite sure that he knew she'd be more than ready for him in the morning.

Setting her phone down on the counter, she then picked up the two glasses of white wine and shuffled over to where her friend was sitting, seemingly lost in her own mind.

Taking the glass that was offered to her, Kagome stated, having heard some of her friend's conversation, "You don't have to stay here. I'm fine."

Settling down beside the downtrodden woman, Sango smiled and took a sip of her drink. "Shush, we're having girls night and that means all night."

"I know, but…"

"But nothing! My friend needs me whether she knows it or not, and so this is where I'll be. Besides, I think Miroku can hold his own dick for a little while, don't you?"

Kagome stared at the woman, who had a dead serious expression on her face, and burst out laughing. Doubling over, she clutched her stomach as she continued to cackle hysterically.

Maybe what Sango said wasn't that funny, but she needed some kind of release before she imploded.

Joining in with a light chuckle, Sango added, "You know that little pervert told me that he wants me naked and bent over as soon as I walk through the door?"

Wiping her eyes with the backs of her hands, Kagome replied, "Well at least someone wants you. Right now, I'd bend over for a stranger."

Glancing at her friend, Sango blurted while bumping her shoulder playfully into her, "You slut!"

"Takes one to know one!"

They both laughed then took simultaneous sips of their wine. As their laughter finally died down, both women sat in silence just enjoying the other's company. The CD player flipped to a new CD, but neither party paid a bit of attention, both lost in their own private thoughts.

"Sango, I want to tell you a story. It's about a girl that falls in love for the first time with a guy that promises her the world, but, in the end, he robs her of everything she's ever wanted."

Sango knew that, more than likely, she was talking about herself, and if she wasn't then it was just as well. She would listen anyway. Scooting closer to her friend who seemed a little lost in thought, Sango snaked her arm around her waist and pulled her towards her so that they were shoulder to shoulder, the sides of their heads resting gently against the others'.

Sighing lightly, Kagome began, "She met him two years and seven almost 8 months ago. From the moment she saw him, she loved him…wanted him…craved him."

"Wow, he must have been some looker, for her to fall for him like that," Sango said while reaching for Kagome's free hand.

Grasping her dear friend's hand, Kagome continued with a soft smile, "He was gorgeous in a very manly, exotic sort of way. He had the deepest blue eyes, which seemed to stare straight into your soul when he looked at you. And his voice, it was heavy and deep. It could make your soul quiver and send chills running up and down your spine all at once."

"Sounds like this guy would give my Miroku, a run for his money. Does he have a name?"

Kagome was quiet for moment, and then she whispered softly, "Nashitaku Kouga. His name was Kouga; he was a wolf demon that she met in Kyoto."

Sango glanced at her friend, then sighed as she relaxed against her once more and waited for her to continue.

"She'd just graduated from law school when she met him. Actually, it was the night she'd gotten her first job as an Attorney. She was out with her friends at one of the local clubs when he breezed into her life and swept her off her feet. He was everything she'd ever dreamed of and more than she ever dared to hope for," Kagome stated with a soft sigh.

"The first year that they were together was total bliss. He took her places that she'd never dreamed of going. He did things to her that she thought could only be done by the gods themselves." Kagome sniffled as she felt her eyes begin to well up with tears that she didn't want to let fall. "Sango, this man swept her off her feet. I… She actually thought that her life had begun and ended with him. He was the lighter to her cigarette, the sun to her flowers, and the gray clouds to her rain."

"It sounds like she was really head over feet in love with him," Sango whispered quietly.

Taking a sip of wine, Kagome added reluctantly, "But you know what they say, 'what goes up, must come down.' I think that's how it goes, anyway."

"It was about just over a year into their relationship when things started to tumble down hill, but..." Kagome whimpered softly, then continued, "I ignored… 'She' ignored all the signs. He started disappearing for days on end. She'd call his phone repeatedly, but he'd never answer. It was almost like he'd fallen off the face of the earth. She'd go by his apartment, but he was never there. She'd leave notes on his car, which was still conveniently parked in the garage, but he never called."

Sighing, she continued, "The first time it happened, she was worried out of her mind. She'd thought that maybe he was dead or had gotten in some horrific accident. What she didn't want to believe… What she refused to believe - was the truth. Instead, she made up about a million different excuses for him and prayed that when she did see him…talk to him, he'd tell her one of them."

Sango sat up, totally intrigued by this guy that was rapidly turning into the epitome of an ass. "Did he come back? Did she see him again?"

Kagome nodded as she spoke, "Yeah, he finally showed up after about 7 days. He appeared at her house like nothing had happened. He was all smiles and hugs. When she asked him where he was, he said that he had been deathly ill with some kind of virus."

Sango looked at her friend, one eyebrow raised higher than the other. Even 'she' knew that demons didn't get sick unless they're mortally wounded. Surely, Kagome or whoever this woman was didn't fall for that line of bullshit!

She didn't have to look at Sango to know that she was staring at her with a tell-me-you-didn't-fall-for-that look. So, she continued, "That was the first time of maybe a million times that he disappeared on her without a word. It was the first time of a billion times that she accepted his tales…his fabrications…his lies as the truth all because she didn't want to loose him. All because she was too weak…too pathetic to open her eyes and see the truth that was laid out before her as if it was on display at a museum."

Sango gently hugged her friend. "You're… She's not a coward and she's not pathetic. She was in love. When you're in love, you see what you want to see. It's not her fault," she avowed, reassuringly.

"It gets worse," Kagome mumbled as she returned her friend's hug. Sitting back, she stated while staring up at the ceiling, "Somehow, she learned to deal with the lies. She learned to bury the hurt, the anger, and the little voice that whispered to her that something was amiss…that he wasn't being true to her. Instead of facing any of that, she immersed herself in him, when he was around. She lived for the few days…weeks they had together." Snorting lightly, she continued, "Don't get me wrong, he didn't disappear every week, he just disappeared one week out of every month for the rest of their relationship."

'_That bastard,'_ Sango thought as she stared empathetically at her friend.

"It was after one of his mysterious disappearances, that she finally learned the truth. In a way, she was glad it happened the way it did because, if it hadn't, she'd still be living that lie. But, at the same time, she couldn't help feeling betrayed, emotionally abused, used, and cheated." Glancing at Sango, Kagome looked away again and stated softly, "You know, Sango. If he'd been the type of man to beat her, I'm almost certain that she probably would've gotten over that by now."

Sango wanted to reach over and just hold her friend. She wanted to make all the hurt and the pain evaporate instantaneously, but she knew she couldn't. This type of pain and heartache went just a little too deep. It was the type of vermin...bug…insect that buried itself into the crevices of one's heart, soul, and mind and stayed there, sometimes indefinitely.

Sango grimaced angrily as she watched a tear trail slowly down the tormented young woman's face. She could feel the heartbreak oozing off her aura in waves as she spoke about this Kouga bastard, and she slowly began to hate him a little more with every word that fell from her friend's lips.

The sympathetic part of her wanted to silence Kagome…relieve her of reliving this agonizing portion of what she knew was her life. However, the intelligent curious part, wanted to know how, what, when, where, and more importantly, what she could do to help her heal.

"Kagome, you don't have to tell me anything else. I can see that this is hurting you more than you'd care to admit."

Shaking her head in a negative manner, she replied, "No, it's okay. I've wanted to…needed to tell someone this story for so long that it's almost like therapy."

Understanding exactly what her companion was saying, Sango took a sip of her wine and sat back, waiting for the tumultuous end that she was more than sure was coming.

"Kouga had just returned from one of his mysterious little disappearances when it happened." Kagome sighed heavily as she forced herself to continue; "He'd shown up at her job earlier in the day with a huge, beautiful bouquet of roses and that grin of his that he knew melted her heart. At first, she tried to be mad at him. She tried to curse him out and tell him to go to hell, but every time she tried, he'd grin and kiss her while apologizing repeatedly. Eventually, she caved like she always did and forgave him as usual."

"Later that night, he took her out to dinner and a movie. Afterwards, they walked for hours along the waterfront as if nothing had ever happened between them. He promised her that he'd stop disappearing the way he had been. He told her… He actually had tears in his eyes when he told her that he was truly sorry and that he knew that he was hurting her."

Wiping away a stray tear, Kagome looked down at her hands as she gathered up what was left of her nerves, her pride and continued with her story, "That was the happiest she'd been in a very long time. She actually believed him that time. She actually thought that he meant what he said and that he would be a man of his word. It wasn't until later that she would discover that he wasn't man enough to be a man of anything."

Allowing her head to rest back against the glass, Kagome began slowly, not realizing that she had taken the third person out of her story and made it personal, "That night we went back to his place. We lit some candles, turned on some soft, slow music and we made love like it was the first time and our last time. He made me feel as if I needn't worry about anything anymore. It was like he was telling me…trying to show me that his heart was mine and my heart was his."

Tears trailed out the side of her eyes as she continued, "I loved him so much. As he dug deep within me, touching parts of me, I didn't know could be touched, I felt him slowly repairing every crack that he'd caused in my heart…my soul. I wanted to become one with him, that night. I wanted to die in his arms and live with his mind, just so I would never have to be without him."

She was silent for a while, as if she had to gather the courage to continue. "I don't know when she walked in or how long she was there watching, but we'd just started making love again for the second time when I heard… When she screamed this aching, gut-wrenching cry that I swear could've torn the heavens wide open. I didn't know who she was or what she was doing there, but Kouga did. He pushed me off him so fast that I fell off the bed and smacked my head against the nightstand."

Swallowing, she continued, her voice soft and trembling, "It took me a moment to gather my frantic mind, but when I did, I saw Kouga standing before her, the sheet we'd just been laying in wrapped around his waist. He was telling her to…begging her to calm down and let him explain. She was pissed, but I wouldn't know until later that she had every right to be."

_**Flashback**_

_Pulling up the shirt that Kouga had discarded in the heat of passion, Kagome tried to cover her nakedness as best she could as she quickly stood up and approached the screaming woman and her frantic boyfriend. She didn't know what to think or do, but she needed to get to the bottom of this. "Kouga, what's going on? Who's this?"_

"_Who's this? Who's this?" the irate redhead mimicked heatedly. Whipping her head around in Kagome's direction, she lashed out, "I'm his fucking mate, you dirty whore!"_

_Kagome stepped back as if she had been slapped! Clutching her chest, she looked at Kouga hoping that he'd refute what the woman had just said. She needed him…desperately needed him, to tell her that this woman had lost her fucking mind! But, he said nothing; he just hung his goddamn head!_

_Feeling like a fish out of water, Kagome screamed, "Kouga, say something! What is she talking about?" She knew enough about demons to know that mate was the equivalent of wife, but with one twist; there was no such thing as divorce. It was death and nothing less._

"_Ka…Kagome, stay out of this," Kouga mumbled pathetically as he clutched the sheet to his waist and pleaded with Ayame, with his eyes, to forgive him._

"_No, fuck no! She doesn't need to stay out of this! It's quite apparent that you were just inside her, you son of a bitch! I'd say, she has everything to do with this," Ayame screamed, slapping him across the face. "How could you do this, you bastard? We're mates! You asked me to be your fucking mate a year ago! And here you are fucking a stinking fucking human! You sorry two timing prick!"_

_Kagome stepped back. 'A year? We've been together 2 years. He…He took a mate while we…while we were together?' Her heart dropped and her knees shook as she stared at him, praying that he'd say something, do something to stop this. To make all of this go away, but he did nothing, said nothing. _

"_Ayame, I'm…I'm sorry," he whispered pitifully, in a voice almost too soft for Kagome to hear. "She…she doesn't mean anything to me. You're the one I love. You're the one I took as my mate."_

_Kagome felt her heart shatter into a million pieces. She felt like she had just been stabbed in the chest. She wanted to die, to disappear. How could he say that she didn't mean anything to him? How could he say that he didn't care at least a little bit for her? She'd just spent two years of her life whining over him! He'd just spent two years of his life chasing her, making sure she forgave him every time she tried to walk away, every time he screwed up. He'd just made love to her, for goodness sake!_

"_How long? How long have you been sleeping with her? How long have you been cheating on me? Is this why you only come home every three weeks? Is this why you keep putting off relocating, you son of a bitch?" Ayame queried impatiently. Seeing that she wasn't going to get an answer from him, she turned her attention towards Kagome. "How long has this been going on?" she demanded furiously._

_Unable to stop herself, Kagome stuttered sarcastically, "Tw…two years and I don't mean anything to him." She tried to stop herself from crying, but she couldn't hold back the tears as she stared past the fuming woman and at Kouga._

"_Two years," Ayame mimicked as she pushed him in his chest, forcing him to step back away from her. "Two fucking years?"_

"_I told you, she doesn't mean anything to me. She's human. You know…you know I would never take anything with a human serious," he whimpered, glancing quickly at Kagome._

_Kagome shook her head. She didn't want to believe a word of what she was standing here listening to. She didn't want to believe a bit of what she was seeing, but how could she not! He'd just said that she meant nothing to him! He'd said it twice for heaven's sake! She'd just watched him cower down to this redheaded woman and he'd said absolutely nothing to discourage the things she said._

_She felt foolish, naked, used and, more than anything else, betrayed._

_**End Flashback**_

"I gathered up what was left of my pride, and tried to run out of there as fast as I could, but she stopped me." Kagome hung her head and closed her eyes again as she continued, "She slapped me and I couldn't…I couldn't do a damn thing, because I was wrong. I was sleeping with her husband…her mate. She had every right to hit me and I had none to hit back."

With tears in her eyes, Sango murmured, "Kagome, I'm so sorry that happened to you. You just tell me where that bastard is and I'll hunt his sorry ass down, I promise you I will."

Kagome giggled softly, but disregarded her friend's statement. "I remember I was standing in the hallway, getting dressed, when an older married couple passed me. They shook their heads disapprovingly as I tried to quickly fasten my bra and that's when I knew I'd hit rock bottom. I cried so much that night, and the night after that, and the night after that, until I just couldn't cry anymore."

She sighed heavily, and then continued, "He never called me and he never came by to explain. It was like I never existed. I wasn't able to deal with him being in the same city as me… I couldn't handle the idea that he was really married and therefore off limits to me, so I ran. I came here to Tokyo." Sighing softly, she finished, "I thought if I left, I would be leaving him behind as well, but he…both of them followed me here. They're in my head all the time, taunting me and reminding of how stupid I was, and how the man that I loved was really never mine to love in the first place.

Sango rose up on her knees and wrapped Kagome in a tight, possessive embrace as if she was trying to protect her from the world. She wanted to say something…needed to say something that would make her friend feel better, but she couldn't come up with anything. So she held Kagome tighter as tears that she wasn't aware she was about to shed started to fall from her eyes.

After a moment, the two women finally separated and Sango looked at Kagome with a smile on her face. "None of that was your fault, you do know that don't you? Kouga was a bastard and never even remotely worthy of all that you have to offer." Running her hand down the side of Kagome's cheek, she finished, "When you're ready to go bash his fucking head in, call me. I'll always be down for that ride."

Kagome smiled genuinely as tears came to her eyes. She'd really found a true friend in this woman. "Thank you, Sango. Thank you for listening."

Standing up, Sango shuffled over to the counter and grabbed the bottle of wine. Sashaying back towards her friend, she was determined to lighten the mood. Refilling her glass then Kagome's, she spoke, "Don't you let that hold you down anymore than it already has. Besides, the only way to get over a few bad relationships, or just one really bad one, is with one extraordinary fuck."

Picking up her glass, Kagome replied with a chuckle, relieved that she was finally able to speak the truth to someone she trusted and not be judged for her stupidity, "To hell with relationships, I think I'll get a dog instead."

Both women laughed heartily.

Kagome could feel her heart begin to mend ever so slightly and she smiled at her friend, who was now chattering away about something perverted Miroku had done. _'Tonight was a really good night,'_ she thought as she sighed contentedly for the first time in months.

**Until Next Time**…(Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated.)

**Next Chapter:** Sunny Sunday Afternoons


	8. Sunny Sunday Afternoons

**A/N**: As always all characters will be walking that thin line called, OOCness, especially Sango. This is more of a filler chapter than then anything else, but it's enjoyable just the same. I really shouldn't be updating this right now, because I desperately need to start packing, but hey, you guys come first. Thanks for your continued reviews and support and enjoy. In case I haven't already told you, my fic Confrontations II won 2nd place Best Canon from the Inuyasha Fan Guild 1st 2007 Quarter. Maybe next quarter, this fic will win something…lol.

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**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership to anyone, with the exception of Nya and Dr. Aikio. All others are owned and created by the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi.

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**Chapter 8:**

_**Sunny Sunday Afternoons**_

Inuyasha barreled through traffic, his music blaring out the window of his imported '68 Ford Mustang. He'd found it online a few years ago and had it sent over from America. It was what he called his weekend car or rather, his toy.

It was in mint condition. Midnight black with a red streak that ran from the trunk to the hood, red bucket leather seats, and a simplistic dashboard tied it all together. The previous owner had spent so much time under the hood that the damn thing seemed to hum when he drove it and growl when he cranked it.

Gunning the engine, he thought with a smirk, as all eyes turned just in time to watch him fly by, _'That's a good bitch; show them what you're made of.'_

He was currently on his way to his brother's home for Sunday dinner, which he allowed Rin to talk him into every once and a while.

It would start out simple enough. He'd chitchat with Rin for a few minutes then he and Sesshomaru would insult each other, which would in turn cause them to venture out into the backyard that looked more like a forest than anything else. There, they would spar, beginning with their fists and claws, and ending with their antique swords; one of many things that their father had passed down to them upon his death.

Turning off the main road, Inuyasha revved his engine and sped down the quiet street lined with beautifully well-trimmed trees and gigantic iron gates, each hiding a different and more extravagant mansion.

No matter how often he came to this area, and regardless of the fact that he probably had more money than most of these uptight bastards that lived here, he never actually felt like he fit in.

Slowing as he neared the last gate that took up the entire cul-de-sac and sat back just far enough from the other homes that it gave his brother the privacy he desired, Inuyasha reached into his visor and pushed the button on the gate opener. Sesshomaru had given it to him when he found out that Rin was pregnant.

Knowing that it would irritate the hell out of his brother, Inuyasha gunned the engine, causing his tires to squeal and burn rubber as he sped up the driveway. He then slammed on the brakes while turning the wheel sharply as he slid to a halt in front of the door, almost hitting one of the groundskeepers.

Laughing as the man fell to the ground and rolled away, Inuyasha began to climb out of the car, but stopped when his cell began to ring.

Glancing at the caller id, he flipped it open and asked, "Did he put your ass out this time?"

Nya laughed and replied, "If only you were that lucky."

Stepping out of the car, Inuyasha parried as he closed the door and shoved his keys in his front pocket, "Blah, blah, blah, what the hell do you want? You're killing my minutes."

Nya laughed again and stated, "First of all, it's Sunday, you're using weekend minutes and, second of all, I can't call the best boss in the whole wide world on a beautiful Sunday afternoon just to see how he's doing?"

The hanyou groaned as he stepped towards the house. "Actually, no, you can't, and I don't have weekend minutes on my plan."

"You're such a liar! Did you forget that I'm the one that sends out your bills? I know what plan you have and you do have night and weekend minutes," Nya replied, calling him on his line of bullshit. "Anyway, since I already have you on the phone, what are you doing today?"

_'Oh, hell no,'_ Inuyasha thought as he stopped dead in his tracks. Turning on his heels, he headed back to the passenger side of his car. "I'm busy."

"Doing what?"

"Jesus H. Christ, Nya! Didn't I just say that I was busy? You act like my wife or something with all the goddamn questions," Inuyasha replied, knowing that she was heading in the direction of another hideous blind date, because she had absolutely no other reason to be calling him.

Ignoring his abrasive tone since she was more than used to it, she stated, "Fine, whatever, are you going to be busy next Saturday?"

Inuyasha hesitated a moment too long.

"Good," Nya chirped happily. "I'll make an 8 P.M. reservation for two at Che Le Rosa."

"Oh hell," Inuyasha groaned as he ran his hand down his face exasperatedly. "Nya, didn't I tell you that I'd appreciate it if you didn't set me up with anymore of your grotesque family members?"

"Ha! She's not a family member. She's my Gynecologist," the enthusiastic woman stated proudly, and then finished, "And the best damn one in town too."

"You really expect me to break bread with someone that has had her hands anywhere near your crotch? You must be joking."

Nya laughed and replied, "Oh, please. That just means that anything she touches will be that much sweeter."

Inuyasha pretended like he was gagging. "I seriously doubt that," he stated in a huff as he balanced the phone between his shoulder and ear and leaned back against his pristine antique automobile.

As Nya chatted on about God knows what, he waved back at Rin, who had come to one of the windows on the 2nd floor and was waving at him excitedly.

"So will you be there?" Nya inquired hopefully. "I want to be able to tell her tonight, so that she can arrange her week properly."

Inuyasha was quiet for a moment. "Hello Nya? Nya, you there?" He knew good god damn well she was there, he was just pretending like his phone had somehow lost the signal.

"Inuyasha, can you hear me?"

He wanted to laugh at the distress in her voice, but instead maintained his calm. "Nya, if you can hear me, I'll call you back later. I think my phone is acting up," he shouted.

Not sparing a moment more, Inuyasha closed the phone and hit the button on the top of the device to turn it off.

Once again, he felt trapped. True enough, he didn't have any plans for Saturday night, but that didn't mean he had to let her pimp him out every chance she got either.

Tossing the phone through the window and onto the passenger seat of his car, Inuyasha frowned slightly as he shuffled towards the front doors.

He knew Nya meant well and perhaps it was a little mean what he'd just done, but outside of saying an outright no to her, what else was he supposed to do? Sit there and listen to her praise some chick that played with vaginas for a living?

Sighing, he pushed against one of the heavy oak doors as he quietly resigned himself to the fact that tomorrow was Monday and Nya would no doubt pick up right where she left off.

_'Goddamn nag,'_ he thought with a grimace. Smiling at his brother's mate, who was waddling as fast as she possibly could down the stairs to meet him, he thought, _'That lucky bastard'._

Moving quickly towards her, Inuyasha wrapped his arms protectively around her waist, steadying her and hugging her all at once. "Oi, where the hell is that prick? You shouldn't be walking down those damn steps alone."

Returning his hug, Rin stated breathlessly, "He's not a prick, and he doesn't know I came down here alone. So you better not tell him." Leaning back, she smiled up at him as she palmed his cheek in a sisterly fashion. "You look good, Inuyasha. I'm so glad."

Chuckling uncomfortably, he held on to her as he led her into the sitting room, slowly. "What, did you actually think I was wasting away?" Sitting her down in the recliner, he was sure his brother had purchased specifically for her, he joked, "My goodness woman, it looks like I could pop you with a pin."

Sitting back, Rin rubbed her protruding belly slowly as she replied with a soft sigh, "Can you believe that I still have two months to go?" Sighing, she finished, "I swear these little monsters are trying to kill me from the inside out. If they aren't kicking me, they're taking turns bouncing on my bladder, and heaven forbid I decide to lay on my side! It feels like they're actually trying to roll me onto my back!"

Inuyasha stared at her as she spoke. Her skin seemed to have its own unearthly glow that made her appear goddess like. Her nose had spread ever so slightly and her skin was absolutely flawless and radiant. He'd always wondered if Kikyo's body would have reacted to pregnancy in this same manner, but he supposed that was something that just was not meant to be; at least, not in this lifetime and definitely not with him.

Sitting down across from her, Inuyasha replied with what was the running joke between the two of them, "Well maybe if you would've listened when I told you to marry me instead of that ass, you wouldn't be in this predicament!"

Rin laughed softly and responded the same way she did every time he said that, "If only I had met you before Sesshomaru. I'd be riding motorcycles and sun bathing on a nude beach in Europe, but, alas, I'm confined to this horrid mansion with one too many maids and butlers at my beck and call."

Inuyasha always joked with Rin like that. He'd never actually looked at her as anything more than his sister-in-law; it was just innocent fun.

It actually started on the day of her and Sesshomaru's wedding. Rin had been unbelievably nervous, almost to the point where she wanted to bail on the wedding. He'd gone to welcome her into the Takahashi family early when he found her sitting on the windowsill of her dressing room, one leg dangling outside, while the other was poised to push her the rest of the way out the window.

After calming her down and getting her to tell him what was wrong, he quickly realized that it had nothing to do with her love for his brother. She was simply a nervous wreck. She wasn't accustomed to all the attention she was getting from people she didn't know. The fact that the majority of attendees were strangers had, quite honestly, sent her over the edge.

In the end, he told her that she had two choices; walk up that aisle and marry his brother who, even though he was an asshole, loved her more than he'd ever loved anything or anyone else, or marry him and they'd escape to the nude beaches of Europe where they'd ride motorcycles and hop from town to town. However, one way or the other, she was definitely going to leave the chapel, a Takahashi.

Ever since then, he and Rin had had a special relationship. It was more that of a blood brother and sister than anything else.

Leaning forward, Rin whispered softly, "Are you still seeing Dr. Aikio?"

Inuyasha groaned, "Unfortunately, yes."

"How's it going?"

"It's going," he replied with a shrug of his shoulders. He didn't want to go into depth about what they'd discussed, but he did have a question that he wanted to ask her. "Rin, tell me something. W…why did you like Kikyo? Sesshomaru never liked her, but you…you liked her from the beginning."

Taking Inuyasha's hand, she smiled softly at him as she responded, "I liked her because you liked her." Knowing that he probably didn't understand exactly what she was saying, Rin elaborated, "Whenever I saw you with her, you seemed so happy. It was like you'd finally found what you were searching for. So, for that reason alone, I liked her. "

"I see," the hanyou replied with a gentle nod of his head, and then continued with a smirk, "Do you still like her?"

"You know me, Inuyasha; there aren't many people I don't like, but Kikyo… I'll cut her for what she did to you." Giggling, Rin continued, "She better be glad she did that crap before I had these two, because I would sure let them loose on her."

Chuckling, Inuyasha stood quickly to his feet and kissed Rin's forehead. That was the answer he was looking for. Finally, somebody hated that miserable bitch as much as he did.

As he sat back down, Rin smiled at him sympathetically. He'd come such a long way from the earlier months after Kikyo left him, but she could still see the sadness that he hid behind that golden smile of his.

"Don't do that," Inuyasha mumbled, looking away.

"Do what?"

"Look at me like I'm a wounded pup or something," he replied almost scornfully.

"Don't be silly," the young woman avowed as she gently rubbed her belly in a circular motion. "I was just thinking… Well wondering, if you'll ever get serious with anyone again."

"Me?" he chuckled nervously as he looked quickly away, then back at her. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to allow anyone else to get that close to me again," Inuyasha whispered as if he was just thinking out loud. "Besides, when these two get here, I'll be too damn busy playing Uncle."

"Don't you dare use Itsy and Bitsy as excuses to not date. The woman for you is out there; you just haven't met her yet. And, before you say it, it damn sure wasn't Kikyo."

Inuyasha stared at the woman as she spoke. He had to admit that she was the only person that he had ever spoken to like this. She was the only person whose advice he'd even consider taking. It was probably her gentle nature that allowed him to let her in, in such a way.

"Enough talk about me. Have you guys chosen names for those little guys?"

Rin sighed, lovingly. "I like Taylor and Tyler, but your brother says that's too American. He said that if he wanted American or even half American children, he would've married an American woman in America." Sighing again, she finished, "So I gave up. I told him to name them whatever he wants to. After all, I'm just the one carrying their little behinds in my abdomen like I'm a walking, talking human incubator."

Inuyasha would never admit this out loud, but he was actually a little jealous of his brother. He not only was able to find the mate of his heart his first go around, but he also had not one, but two sons on the way. He had the perfect family and it was everything that he had wanted with Kikyo.

The doorbell rang loudly around them, but neither party paid it any attention as they continued with their conversation.

"I'm so glad you decided to come today. I just wish you'd come by more often," Rin said softly.

Before Inuyasha could respond, Sesshomaru stepped into the room holding a legal folder. Leaning down quickly, he kissed the top of his mate's head and passed the folder to her. "Hoko intercepted this for you."

Taking the folder, she inquired, "Did he say who dropped it off?"

"He said someone by the name of Kohome or Kagome or something like that."

"You must mean Kagome. She's the new Attorney at the office. I wonder why she didn't come in?" Rin queried rhetorically.

Sesshomaru questioned, one eyebrow raised curiously higher than the other, "Kagome?"

Grabbing his arm in an attempt to pull herself to her feet, Rin replied, "You met her at the dinner that the firm threw for her when she made partner. She has long dark hair and a real pretty round face. She's my height, just thinner."

Standing to his feet, Inuyasha adjusted his slacks as he interjected sarcastically, "Damn, you just described every woman in Tokyo, Rin. Can you be a little more precise?" He honestly had no interest in whomever this woman was they were talking about, he just felt like a third wheel and found it necessary to say something.

Finally standing to her feet, Rin playfully swatted him as she replied, "Oh shush! Trust me, if you see her, you'll never forget her."

"Feh, whatever. They're all pretty damn forgettable if you ask me," the hanyou stated as he pushed past his brother and walked towards the massive sliding glass doors that led to the backyard.

Making sure that his mate didn't fall flat on her face, Sesshomaru stated dryly, "The only one that should have been forgettable to you was that pathetic excuse of a…"

"Sesshomaru, stop it," Rin snapped, knowing that he was about to add insult to injury.

Inuyasha ignored his brother as he reached down and pulled his sweatshirt up over his head. Pulling the glass door open, he quickly stepped outside as he stated over his shoulder, "Hurry and bring your bitch ass out here so I can clean the yard with you. Oh, and grab Tetsusaiga while you're at it."

Sesshomaru growled low and then quickly turned his attention back to his mate. "Why are they sending you files? Aren't you on maternity leave?"

"Yes, and it's not the law office. I called Kagome and asked her to have someone bring this to me. I just need to do a little research on it."

Sesshomaru frowned in concentration as he rested his hand on her swollen belly. "I guess it won't hurt if you read in bed."

Rin smiled softly up at him. "You're almost too good to me, you know that?"

Handing his wife over to Hoko, the butler, so that he could escort her up stairs, Sesshomaru lightly kissed her cheek and turned to join his brother outside for their monthly sparring session.

Stopping at the door, he turned slightly and watched his mate hobbled up the stairs leaning heavily on Hoko. Every time he saw her, sat with her, looked at her, or laid with her, it reminded him of just how lucky he was.

Turning his attention back to his brother, he thought, _'One day Inuyasha, perhaps even a moron like you will find what I've found in Rin.'_

**Until Next Time**…(Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated.)

**Next Chapter:** Her Husband, Her Fiancé, and My Fantasies


	9. Her Fiance, Her Husband, My Fantasies

**A/N:** As always all characters will be walking that fine line of OOCness. Sango, however, will be leaping straight over it. Everyone keeps asking me when will they meet? I already told you, it's going to happen, just be patient. Besides, I've always hated when people right a fic like this and throw them together in the first or second chapter without giving much thought into their private lives. It's almost like they don't know that Kagome and Inuyasha are individuals, totally and separate from one another. So bare with me just a tad bit longer. Besides, their meeting has already been written in stone and fully edited. So trust me, it's coming and I'm more than sure you'll love it!! I hope anyway.

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**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya and Dr. Aikio. The rest belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

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**Chapter 9:**

_**Her Fiancé, Her Husband, and My Fantasies**_

"Another week down and two to go," Sango chirped as she stepped into Kagome's office, cradling a stack of files.

Kagome sat back in her chair and groaned. If she had known all it took was a stupid bet to get the habitually late woman to come to work on time, she would've done it months ago. "Please, don't remind me," she whined, knowing Sango was beating around the bush about her impending blind date.

Setting the files on the corner of the well-polished desk, Sango replied, "Well, you see, I have to. I don't want you coming down with a case of selective amnesia, now do I?"

Kagome inquired sarcastically, "Who is it this time? The Assistant Manager in training of Rapid Lube?"

Sango laughed nervously. She'd actually felt guilty about what they now called the Nobunaga Saga. Who would've thought that the guy would've turned out to be such a loser?

"I made sure to check this one out. He's a real sweetheart and he's cute too," Sango gushed while taking a seat in the chair across from her boss.

"Don't try to hype him up. Just tell me what idiot patch you and that fiancé of yours plucked him from," Kagome stated in a no-nonsense tone.

"Well, he owns his own delivery company."

"Oh God, don't tell me you're setting me up with a damn delivery boy this time?"

"Let me finish, silly. He owns a courier company. It's not big, but he built it from the ground up. He's got contracts with most of the big companies downtown."

Plucking one of the folders off the stack that Sango had just brought in, Kagome stated, "Okay so he owns a courier business. That still sounds like delivery boy to me."

"Don't be so judgmental. In my opinion, even if he was just a 'delivery boy' that doesn't make him worthless. Everyone has to crawl before they can walk," Sango argued.

Sango understood clearly why Kagome was the way she was, but how was she supposed to help her heal if she didn't give this a chance? It damn sure wasn't going to happen with her belittling the man before she even laid eyes on him.

Kagome glanced up at the woman and back down at the folder. Regardless of whether he was crawling or walking, a damn delivery boy was a damn delivery boy. "Whatever, it's only an hour out of my mundane existence. I guess I don't mind wasting it," she declared acerbically. Then she finished with, "After all, I'm an honorable woman; I'll up hold my end of the bargain."

Sango narrowed her eyes at her boss and now good friend. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't understand how someone could be so pessimistic and cynical all the time. Sure, she understood that what that ass Kouga did was wrong and she agreed that he deserved to be boiled in oil for it, but he didn't represent every man. He was just one out of a million much better candidates.

"Well, his name is Akitoki. And, before you ask, I also took it upon myself to make sure he didn't have any recent ex's that he was still hung up on."

"I appreciate that, but it really doesn't make a difference, does it? Every date will undoubtedly end the same way the last one did, trust me. Men are so fucking predictable that it's almost asinine," Kagome declared in a matter of fact tone without looking up from the file she was reviewing. "Pass me that highlighter," she finished, pointing at the opposite end of her desk.

Handing the highlighter in question to her, Sango replied, "Well with that attitude, of course. This is supposed to be fun. No one goes out with someone for the first time and expects to get married; they just hope to have a good time. I mean really, Boss Lady, can't you set the cynicism aside for a moment and just try to have some fun? If he turns out to be an ass, then he's an ass. At least you got a free meal and you're out of the house for an hour or two."

That statement caused Kagome to look up. She just stared at Sango for a moment without saying anything, her head tilted slightly to the side as if she was confused about something.

Setting the file down on the desk in front of her, she sat back in her chair and steepled her manicured nails. "You see Sango, that's where we're different. I've already wasted two years of 'my life' with 'an ass'. So, forgive me if I happen to think that the remaining time I have is too valuable to waste even a minute on another 'ass'. As for a free meal, well, I don't need him or anyone else to feed me, I've been feeding myself for twenty something years."

Sango stared at her as if she couldn't believe what she had just said. "What's with you? This whole week you've been acting like a royal…" she stopped herself and altered what she was about to say, "You're right. Life…everyone's life is valuable, but you know what else? It's also short. So if you keep up with this attitude of yours, your life, my friend, will not only be short and lonely, but also boring."

Kagome just stared at Sango.

She hadn't meant to be so snappy or bitchy with her, it had just been the week from hell. She'd been newly assigned to work on Rin's files, which were no laughing matter. Almost all of her clients seemed to want to be cradled and tit fed. This, in return, caused her to neglect her own clients who had started just popping up at her office unannounced. That, compiled with the pending blind date, was just a little too much. Not to mention this whole week she had been suffering through the worst cramps she'd ever experienced in her life!

Sighing, Kagome asked, in hopes of directing the current conversation away from her and towards the new loser, "So his name is Akitoki. Where, might I ask, will I be meeting him?"

"So does this mean that you're going to actually try to have fun?" Sango queried skeptically, knowing that Kagome was only trying to ease the tension that was steadily building between them.

Reaching for the folder that she had been reviewing, Kagome replied, "In my defense, I tried to have fun on the last date and you see how that turned out."

"You're evading the question."

Rolling her eyes, Kagome mumbled almost incoherently through clenched teeth, "I'll try."

Sango asked, as if she was speaking to a four-year-old, "Why are you going to try?"

Knowing what her friend and employee wanted to hear, Kagome lifted the file up so that it was blocking her view of Sango. Rolling her eyes in a childish manner, she murmured patronizingly, "Because life is too short and I don't want it to be short and boring." She made it a point to leave out anything dealing with loneliness.

'_Sneaky bitch,'_ Sango thought playfully, realizing immediately what Kagome had done. "Good enough, I suppose," she stated as she sat forward in the chair. "Well, I took it upon myself to make a reservation for two at Chela' Tul. It's for tomorrow at 8:30. Akitoki said that he'd have on a white button down shirt and a pair of dark pin stripe slacks. Oh, and he may be even more anal than you about being on time, so I'm sure he'll more than likely be there before you."

Kagome sighed, knowing that there wasn't a damn thing she could do to get out of this. "Tell him to… Tell him to wear something different. A white button down shirt with dark slacks is just too normal for a formal restaurant. Every guy in that place will be wearing almost the same thing. Tell him to… I don't know, wear something different."

Looking as if a light bulb had just gone off, Sango smiled and replied, "I see what you mean. You don't want to end up walking up to the wrong guy. How about I tell him to change the color of his shirt?"

"Yeah, okay…whatever," Kagome stated, not caring in the least. Hell, she secretly hoped she'd get stood up. _'I really am jaded. What woman would hope to actually get stood up?'_

"Alright, I'll have Miroku call him tonight and I'll let you know, okay?"

"Uhm," Kagome grunted. "Why are you still here anyway? It's after 6."

"I'm waiting on Miroku. Remember, I told you my car was going in the shop."

"What have I told you about talking about me?"

Both Kagome and Sango looked towards the door to find a grinning, dark haired man leaning comfortably against the door jam, his arms crossed over his broad chest.

"Oi, how'd you know I was in here?" Sango questioned as she walked over to him and leaned up on her toes to place a light kiss to his waiting lips.

"I followed the sound of that beautiful voice of yours, of course," Miroku replied as he looked away from her and towards the woman sitting behind the desk, staring unabashedly at her. After sparing a moment to brush his knuckles across his fiancé's cheek, he strolled slowly towards her. "You must be the infamous, Kagome. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Standing up, Kagome eyed the 5'10" evenly built man with dark cropped hair closely. _'So this is the horny toad, eh? He doesn't seem like much,'_ she thought as she watched him smile at her, his violet eyes gleaming like something out of a cheesy novel. Not sure exactly how to greet him, she bowed quickly then held her hand out for him to shake as she replied, "The pleasure is all mine."

Taking her hand, he quickly turned it over and kissed the back of it. "I assure you the pleasure is definitely mine. My sweet Sango has talked so much about you that I feel like I know you already," he replied, his tone melodious.

Realizing quickly that he was still holding tightly to her hand, Kagome tugged lightly as she stated in an even, almost nervous tone, "Really? I'm sure she was embellishing the truth just a little."

Releasing her hand, Miroku replied, "I think not. However, she did fail to tell me that you were absolutely stunning. If I had known that, I would've surely kept you all to myself."

Sango stated in a chastising manner, "Miroku, stop," as she came to a stop besides him. She playfully backhanded him in his chest, as she finished, "I swear, I can't take you anywhere!"

Smiling over at his fiancé, he asked seriously, "What's wrong with having two brilliantly beautiful women on my arm?"

"If you don't stop flirting with my boss, you won't be alive long enough to experience even one of them," Sango hissed warningly.

Glancing at Kagome, Miroku winked and stated while pulling Sango into his arms, "She's so damn sexy when she's jealous."

Sango blushed and tried to fight against him in an attempt to show she was upset with him, but in the end gave up and relaxed into his embrace. "I told you he was a flirt," she declared, smiling over at Kagome, who was staring at the two of them as if they were crazy.

"I see. Well, it was great meeting you, Miroku," Kagome replied while sitting back down in her chair. She wasn't trying to get rid of them per se; she just didn't want to witness all this lovey-dovey crap.

Pulling away from Miroku, Sango questioned, "Do you want us to wait on you?"

"No, it's okay. Rin called earlier and said that her husband was going to be dropping off the file I took her on Sunday afternoon." Glancing down at her watch, Kagome continued, "She said it would be after he got off work, so it should be any minute now."

"Are you sure you don't want me to wait? I wouldn't mind getting a look at him myself. All the paralegals from Rin's floor, talk about him like he's' some kind of God or something."

"Sango, you wound me. I thought I was the only man for you," Miroku interjected, trying to sound as if she had seriously hurt his feelings.

Stretching up on her toes, Sango quickly kissed him and murmured with a soft giggle, "You are, but they say he looks like he stepped straight off of a GQ Magazine."

Before Miroku could reply, Kagome jumped in, cutting off their play fight, "I'm sure he's not a God, Miroku. So, you have nothing to worry about. As for you Sango, I'll fill you in tonight. Now please leave, so I can finish up here. As soon as he drops off the file, I plan on leaving."

"Okay then, I'll call you tonight to make sure you got home safe and to tell you what Akitoki said," Sango called as she reluctantly turned and headed towards the door.

"It was great meeting you, Kagome. Hopefully next time it won't be so rushed," Miroku avowed with a small bow.

"Didn't I tell you to stop flirting with my boss, you lech?" Sango shouted as she stomped up to him, grabbed him by the ear, and pulled him towards the door.

Watching the two of them disappear, Kagome sighed heavily and slouched back down into her chair. Closing the file she had been working on, she tossed it on the desk.

Quite honestly, she didn't have an ounce of mental energy left to do anything more than just sit there. Between her clients, Rin's clients, cramps, the upcoming date, and the X rated dreams she continued to experience every night about the motorcycle bandit, she swore she was a mere two steps from checking herself into a mental hospital.

She still couldn't quite grasp why she was dreaming…thinking about the stranger in such a manner. It seemed like the harder she tried to forget about him, the more intense the dreams became.

She had been so lost within one of her daydreams, at one point, that she ran through a red light and almost hit a pedestrian.

'_This can't be healthy.'_

Kagome didn't know what it was about him that kept calling to her. He hadn't said one solitary word to her. She hadn't seen his eyes or even been close enough to smell his cologne. All she knew was that he had stark white untamed hair, honey tanned skin and the cutest little puppy-dog ears on top of his head. How could that be enough to brainwash her? Was she going crazy? Did she need to see a therapist?

Letting her head fall forward onto her desk, she thought, _'I'm losing my fucking mind!'_

To be honest, Kagome found it rather sad. How was it possible that she could carry on a whole relationship…sexual relationship-with someone she'd never actually met before, but when faced with real men, men that were actually interested in her, she pushed them all away and ran for the hills.

'_Maybe Sango's right. Maybe I need to give these dates a little more thought and attention,'_ she mused. Groaning, her thought continued, _'Who am I kidding? Regardless of what Sango said or how right she may have been, I'm not ready for a relationship. Maybe…Maybe I'm not going crazy. After all, most women I know have someone that they secretly fantasize about. Why should I be any different?'_

"Higurashi Kagome?" a manly voice inquired from somewhere near the door.

Forgetting that she was waiting for Rin's husband, Kagome groaned thinking that it was probably just the janitor. "What? I don't have any trash for you to take out."

The person didn't respond, instead she could hear him stepping closer to her desk.

Sighing heavily, she lethargically pulled her head up off her desk, her eyes still closed. Running her hand down her face, she finally sat back and slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurred, but she could distinctly tell that, whoever it was, was wearing a dark colored suit.

"You are Higurashi Kagome, are you not?"

'_Shit, Rin's husband,'_ she thought as she quickly ran her hand through her hair and stood to her feet as her eyes slowly began to adjust. "Yes, of course," she stated with a quick bow.

Staring at the woman closely as she tried to make herself presentable, he couldn't stop himself from thinking, _'Black…leather…pants.'_

"And you are?" Kagome inquired. Almost immediately, she noticed his uncanny golden eyes. His stark white hair, the jagged burgundy stripes on either side of his face, and his pointy ears that sat on either side of his handsome, well-chiseled face. _'Rin's married to a demon?'_ she thought as she tried her damnedest to not gawk, but failed miserably. _'Go Rin.'_

The youkai was quite honestly and without a shadow of doubt, the finest, prettiest, sexiest being she'd ever seen in her life…well, next to her mysterious motorcycle bandit that is. _'Wait a minute. He has white hair just like the motorcycle bandit,' _she thought, but quickly thought better of it.Her head spun in confusion, _'No…No, that doesn't mean anything. I'm sure there are a lot of demons with white hair. And besides, the bandit has two little puppy ears on top of his head.'_

Instead of looking away like she knew she should have, Kagome continued to take in the youkai, her colleague's husband, as if he was the main course on a fine dining menu.

The way his personally tailored Italian suit draped perfectly over his tall lean body, the manner in which his voice demanded your full attention; there was an air about him. It was like he was almost untouchable. The man basically oozed sex appeal, confidence, and self-assurance. These were things that any women, whether dumb, blind, or stupid would be attracted to.

She didn't know why, but her first thought was of an American commercial she'd seen recently. It attempted to coax men/boys into buying some cheap body spray. _'Boom Chicka Wah Wah,'_ she thought while inconspicuously making sure she wasn't drooling.

She was in no way saying that she thought that this deliciously attractive youkai was cheap or a teenage boy. He just made her want to swing around a pole or climb on top of a table or two. _'For the love of God, what's wrong with me?'_

"Takahashi Sesshomaru. I'm here to drop this off," he stated as he held out the file for her to take.

He understood clearly now. She was the same girl he'd seen in the mall. He also understood why she seemed so familiar to him at that time. He'd met her when she was first hired at the law firm. The partners had thrown her a dinner that he'd accompanied Rin to. Though they hadn't stayed long, in what little time they spent there she had obviously left some kind of impression on him.

'_Unforgettable indeed,'_ Sesshomaru thought while waiting for the woman, who was gawking shamelessly at him, to take the file.

Shaking her head in order to dispel the haze that had fallen over her, Kagome smiled lightly as her cheeks turned a rosy color. Taking the file from him, she stuttered, "Ho…How's… How is Rin doing?"

"Quite fine," he replied with an almost nonexistent nod of his head.

She knew she was reaching, but she desperately needed to redeem herself. She'd just been acting like a brainless twit and that was something that she just wasn't. "She's due any day now, isn't she?"

"Actually no, she still has a little less than two months," Sesshomaru replied as he turned to leave.

Setting the file down, Kagome queried as she watched him walk towards the door, "Will you tell her I said hello?"

Stopping, Sesshomaru turned slightly so that he could look at her out of the corner of his eye. Nodding lightly in approval, he then turned and walked out the door in the same manner in which he seemed to do everything; quietly.

Sitting back in her chair, Kagome exhaled heavily_. 'I'm such an idiot! I was staring at him like he was a piece of meat for heaven's sake! If he tells Rin…Oh, hell!'_

Setting the file that Takahashi Sesshomaru had just given her on the stack of files she planned on going over on Monday, Kagome couldn't stop her mind from wandering back to the full blooded demon.

It wasn't him really; it was more of who he reminded her of. His hair, his fangs, his complexion… _'What if… No stupid, they can't be related. If they were, then that would be really bad,'_ she thought as she pulled her purse out of her bottom drawer and stepped towards the door.

'_But his eyes... I've never seen anything like it. If the motorcycle bandit had golden eyes…'_ Turning off the light to her office, Kagome pulled her office door closed and made sure it was locked as she turned towards the elevator.

The fact that she hadn't seen the iniquitous motorcycle bandits' eyes had been bothering her more than she cared to admit. So in every fantasy or daydream that she had about him, she'd change the color of his eyes. She'd never once thought to try out the color of the sun. The more she thought about it, the more she was starting to think that it was a perfect fit.

As the doors opened and closed around her, Kagome couldn't help the little mischievous smirk that played over her face. "Well tonight, my mysterious lover will be sporting a golden gaze, won't he?" she mused as she pushed the button for the garage.

Tonight was definitely going to be a good night.

**Until Next Time**…(Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated.)

**Next Chapter**: Extreme Measures


	10. Broken Anonymity

**A/N**: As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness, so deal with it. And yes, Sango will be leaping straight over that line. In case anyone forgot, this is a fic that is meant for mature readers, if you can't handle it, please accept my deepest apologizes, but this fic deals with adult themes. This chapter holds a lot of vulgarity; so if you think you may find it offensive, don't read it. I must admit this chapter as well as the next chapter is my favorites, thus far. Please enjoy. I'll try to update again next Friday, but I'm not quite sure how that's going to work out since I'm leaving for North Carolina tomorrow. By the way, you guys, every last one of you, freaking amaze me!!! Thanks for your support!!

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**Disclaimer**: I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, and Dr. Aikio. All others belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

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**Chapter 10**:

_**Broken Anonymity**_

"God, I can't wait until these damn blind dates are over," Kagome hissed as she hit the lock button on her key ring to lock her car. Shifting her bag to her shoulder, she then straightened out her lithe waist length jacket and started towards the restaurant where she was supposed to meet, the sure to be buffoon, Akitoki.

'_Maybe, I should just let Sango come in late,'_ she thought as she ran her fingers through her hair with one hand while pulling open the door to the restaurant with the other.

Stepping into the establishment, she silently murmured, _'I'm going to relax. I'm going to just go with the flow. If I don't expect him to be anything other than a jerk, I won't be disappointed.'_ Stopping at the maitre de's desk, she asked with a polite smile, "Has the Higurashi party arrived?"

Glancing down at the ledger in front of him, the older gentleman replied with a smile, "Ah, yes. You must be Kagome. The gentleman by the name of Akitoki has already been seated. I'll escort you to your table."

Not wanting to draw any more attention to herself then absolutely necessary, Kagome replied quickly, while shaking her jacket off, "No! I mean, just point to the table and I'll seat myself."

The maitre de seemed a little thrown off by this, but quickly recovered and grudgingly pointed her in the right direction.

Staring in the direction that he'd pointed, Kagome took a deep breath and stated, "Thank you, I'll take it from here," as she strolled towards the table in question.

She felt like everyone in the place was staring at her. Did they know that she was on a blind date? Did they know that she was so pathetic that her assistant was setting her up on this date? Did they know that she was a nervous wreck and felt like turning and running at full speed out the door?

It sure felt like it.

Squaring her shoulders, she held her head even higher as she approached the table that the maitre de had pointed out. Refusing to look to her right or left, she locked eyes with the dark haired; round faced young man, who, upon seeing her, broke into wide, welcoming smile.

'_Not bad,'_ Kagome thought as she smiled back at him. She had to admit that Sango was right, he was definitely a lot cuter than her last date. Hell, he was actually one of the most attractive men she'd seen since arriving in town. Of course, he had nothing on Takashi Sesshomaru or the Motorcycle Bandit, but he was definitely a looker in his own right.

Akitoki, her date for the evening, stood quickly to his feet and reached around to pull her chair out for her, while taking her jacket and laying it over the back of his chair. "For a while there, I thought you were going to stand me up," he laughed in a joking tone as he sat back down in his chair.

Kagome giggled nervously, and replied, "Now why on earth would I do something as silly as that?" She was realizing rather quickly that this date had the possibility of going a lot differently than the last one. After all, he was a cutie and he did greet her in a courteous manner.

Akitoki shrugged his shoulders and blushed at what he figured was a rhetorical question. Sighing lightly, he said with a smile, "Wow, I was really nervous about meeting you, but now I don't know why I even wasted the energy. You're absolutely stunning."

Kagome couldn't help but to blush. She'd only been sitting here a minute or two and already he'd complimented her, made her laugh, and she hadn't had one thought of how much of a loser he probably was.

'_Maybe Sango was right,'_ she thought, but replied verbally and in a soft flirty tone, "Why, what did you expect?"

Staring her directly in her eyes, he replied softly, "I don't know. Sango kept telling me that you were, nice and you know what they say when someone sets you up on a blind date with a person that they claim is 'nice.'"

Already knowing what is normally said about a nice guy or girl, Kagome queried evenly as if she hadn't a clue, "No, what do they say?"

"You can prepare to meet someone with a really great personality, but she or he will be, more than likely, a dog in the looks department."

Kagome stared at him for a moment, not sure if he had actually said that out loud. In the end, she couldn't stop herself from openly laughing at the ugly truth in his statement. Sure, she'd always thought that and discussed it openly with her friends, but never had she talked about it like this. And with a date of all people!

As her laughter died down to a mere giggle, she quipped seriously and more to see how he would respond, "That's funny enough, but it makes you sound a little shallow."

"Please, don't take it like that," Akitoki, pleaded. "I just happen to believe that for a relationship to work you have to be with someone that you not only love and respect, but also wouldn't mind being seen in public with."

'_Check and Mate,'_ Kagome thought incredulously. Either this Akitoki guy was just telling her what he thought she wanted to hear, or he was definitely worth a closer look. So far, she had to admit that she was impressed. "Good answer, Akitoki, but I'm going to be watching you," she replied with a flirtatious giggle.

The young man sat forward, stared directly in her eyes and asked seriously, "So does that mean that you'll go on another date with me, Kagome?"

She didn't know what to say to that. Surely, he wasn't serious. They'd just met. Sure, he was funny, handsome, owned his own business, (even if it was just a delivery company), and he could hold a pretty nice conversation, but wasn't he moving a little fast?

"Akitoki, are you asking me out on another date? We only met 10 minutes ago," she replied, her voice laced with skepticism. "You've barely even asked me anything about myself." She hoped that that would hold him off just a little, but like the suave, intellectual man he was rapidly turning out to be, he had a perfect comeback.

"Well, I don't want to find out everything on the first date. That way, if you give me your phone number or if you actually do give me another date, we'll have more to talk about."

'_Holy hell, is this guy for real?'_ she thought as she stared at him with a bewildered look on her face. Picking up her glass of water, she took a quick sip as she tried to regain what was left of her composure, but fell short. "I… We…we'll see. Let's see if we can get through this date first, okay?" she stuttered, unwilling to believe that he was genuine.

Smiling over at her as he reached for his menu, Akitoki replied, "Fair enough, Pretty Lady, but I'll tell you now, I'm not going to take no for an answer. When I see something I want, I tend to go after it."

Staring at her date in disbelief, Kagome tried her best to not freak out. She was more than sure that any other woman in her situation would've been swooning over him and falling in love with the words that fell from his lips. She, however, couldn't help but think, _'That comment was a little stalkerish, wasn't it?'_

Kagome was well aware that 'stalkerish' wasn't a word, but in her mind, it suited him just fine.

'_I need to call Sango because this guy can't be for real. There has to be something wrong with him. I bet that's it! I bet he's a fucking stalker on the low,'_ she thought as she smiled softly at him and stated, "Please excuse me, I need to powder my nose." Not giving him a chance to reply, she stood quickly to her feet and hurried towards the bathroom, without one backward glance.

Pushing the door open with one hand, she reached into her purse with her other and pulled out her cellular phone. After checking to make sure that no one else was in the bathroom with her, with the exception of the bathroom attendant, Kagome quickly dialed Sango's home number.

Setting her purse on the counter, she stared in the mirror at her reflection as the phone rang three times before it was picked up. "Good evening," a manly voice stated.

"Hi Miroku, is Sango available?" Kagome questioned impatiently.

"Kagome, hi, how are you? I hope your date is going well," he stated, then continued, "Or is it not because, I'm sure if it was, you wouldn't be calling right now, would you?"

Kagome grimaced and rolled her eyes. "No, it's not that. I just need to talk to Sango about something."

"I see. Well, tell Akitoki, I said hello and I'm looking forward to our game on Sunday. I'll get Sango for you, okay?"

Kagome didn't mean to be short with him, but she was on borrowed time. She had a potential stalker waiting on her and she knew that if she spent a lot of time in a public bathroom, then people would start to talk.

She heard the phone being passed and Miroku say something that she couldn't quite comprehend, then she heard Sango question, "Kagome? Is everything okay? Don't tell me, he turned out to be an ass too because, if he did, I swear I'll take it out of Miroku's ass."

Kagome heard Miroku ask, "Is that a promise?" Refusing to allow herself to get distracted, she stated, "That's the problem. He's almost too goddamn perfect!"

Sango laughed. "So you called because I set you up on a date with someone that you honestly can't find anything wrong with? Boss Lady, you really need to seek some professional help."

"Sango, I'm not joking or laughing! Everything I say, he has the perfect answer to. It's almost like he was standing in front of a mirror rehearsing this date or something."

"Have you ever stopped to think that maybe he didn't rehearse anything? Maybe he's actually genuine. You know, when someone speaks from their heart, they tend to stumble over their words a lot less," Sango replied.

Kagome frowned at her reflection as she ran her fingertips over the tender flesh of her eyelid. "Did you hear that shit on Dr. Phil or Oprah?" Not waiting for her friend to reply, she finished, "Now stop fucking with me, what's wrong with him?"

Sango laughed. "Baka, there's nothing wrong with him. You just need to stop looking for problems where there are none. You know what they say, with every situation that you experience, there is only one common denominator, you."

Glancing at the bathroom attendant that was sitting on a stool pretending to sleep, Kagome replied, "You really need to stop reading those damn self help books." Reaching into her purse, she pulled out her tube of lipstick and added, "He's said something that sounded a little stalkerish to me."

"Stalker-ish?" Sango questioned, trying to hold back her laugh.

"Yeah, stalk-er-ish, damn-it! He asked me out on another date and when I told him we should see how this date goes, he said that he doesn't take no for an answer. That sounds a little psychotic, doesn't it?" Kagome finished as she meshed her lips together in an attempt to even out her lipstick.

"Miroku, stop it," Sango stated in between bouts of giggles.

"Hello, Sango, I have a date waiting," Kagome grumbled in a melodiously irritated tone.

"Yeah, yeah, I know but Miroku won't stop groping me! I swear he's like a fucking octopus! I take his hands off of my tits and before I have time to think, he's grabbing my ass! Then I remove them from there and hit him, I might add, and he's palming my crotch!"

"Okay, that's just too much information. What should I do about Akitoki?" Kagome questioned, cutting her off.

"Okay, okay, let's see. You're on a date with a guy that obviously likes you. He hasn't done anything to turn you off and you're not even half way through your date and he's already asked you out on a second one. If I were you, I'd stomp back over to that table, throw a drink in his fucking face, tell him to kiss my ass, and storm out. How dare he actually show some genuine interest in you?" Sango questioned in a huff, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She then finished, "However, I'm not you. I'd probably fuck him."

Kagome heard Miroku shout in the background, "Like hell you would!" Blocking him out, she frowned thoughtfully. She understood exactly what Sango was trying to tell her through her crude attempt at sarcasm and she couldn't help but grimace.

Was she really that messed up mentally and so jaded that she would try to create problems where there were none? Was she really that cynical?

'_Yes and yes,'_ Kagome thought sadly.

The guy, Akitoki, was definitely a hottie, he could hold a damn good conversation, he was funny, and he had a stable job. What wasn't there to like about him? She damn sure didn't want to marry him or anything, but he was definitely dateable and fuck-able, wasn't he?

"So you think I should screw him?" Kagome whispered into the phone.

"When did I become your Pussy Pimp?" Sango queried seriously and without missing a beat.

Kagome pulled the phone from her ear and stared at it, unsure of exactly how she was supposed to respond to that. "Did…you…just…say 'Pussy Pimp'?"

"Yes, I did," Sango declared, then added, "When I can tell you who you should and should not sleep with, that makes me your 'Pussy Pimp.'"

Shaking her head, Kagome replied, "You have got to be the most vulgar woman I know."

Perhaps that statement would have made a normal woman feel bad or immoral, but not Sango. Instead, she replied proudly, "Why thank you, I try."

"And you say I need help," Kagome stated. Shortly after, she heard Sango burst out laughing. Curiosity got the best of her and she asked, "What's so funny? I know you're not laughing at my situation!"

In between bouts of laughter, the hysterical woman tried to catch her breath while responding, "Mi…ro…ku."

"What's the lech doing now?"

Sango broke out in a fit of laughter again, this time more boisterous than the last. Kagome could hear the phone hit the floor as her friend started to wheeze and snort as if she couldn't catch her breath. _'Those two have got to be the most ridiculous couple on the face of the planet,'_ she thought as she heard the phone being moved around. "Sango, you still there?"

"Yeah…yeah. Girl, I swear, this damn Miroku is a fucking clown! He's standing at the end of the hallway, butt…ass…naked, pouting like a sad puppy and holding up a jar of Vaseline!"

Kagome couldn't stop herself from joining in the laughter. The visual in her mind of Miroku… the Miroku she had just met, that seemed suave and somewhat refined, standing butt naked and pouting like a pathetic puppy, while holding up a jar of Vaseline was just a little too priceless. "You're joking! He's not!"

"Yes, he is! I told him my period was on, but I guess he has plans for other orifices in my body," Sango confirmed in between giggles.

"Alright…Alright. You go and handle your horny fiancé and I'll call you tomorrow." Kagome could tell that Sango was either still laughing or was distracted by doing something else because it took her a second or two to respond.

"Alright. Kagome, don't stress, okay? It's just a date. If you choose to sleep with him, then do it without regrets and with lots of protection. If you don't sleep with him, definitely take him up on that second date because I know you're a little more than backed up."

Knowing that Sango had just made a jab at her sexual, or rather lack of a sexual life, Kagome replied snippily, "Yeah, well make sure you don't get the Vaseline all over your sheets, because it's a bastard to get out." With that, she hung up the phone and shoved it in her purse. "Tramp," she hissed lovingly as she turned on her heels and headed towards the door.

She didn't have a clue as to what she was going to do about this date and possibly second date thing, but she knew that if he kept up the way he was going, she was probably going to end up screwing him. If only to knock the dust off and to remind her of what it's like to actually have a warm body lying next to her.

Rounding the corner that led back into the eating area, she schooled her features and tried to look as pleasant and welcoming as possible. As she passed the bar area, she noticed the maitre de walking swiftly towards her, so she stopped and waited for him to walk the rest of the way.

"Higurashi-sama, your date asked me to tell you that he had a family emergency that he had to attend to."

Kagome replied incredulously, her face taking on a deep scowl, "What?"

"Akitoki-san, stated that he had a family emergency. The bill has already been taken care of."

Shaking her head as if she was having a hard time comprehending what he was trying to tell her, she repeated, "What?"

"Once again, your date, Akitoki-san…"

Kagome snapped irritably, "I heard what you said the first two times! Running her hand angrily through her hair, she stomped away and towards the table she had been sitting at with him. "That bastard! He had a family-fucking emergency? What bullshit! Does he think I'm stupid? I'm so sick of these fucking assholes wasting my fucking time," she growled low.

Snatching up her jacket, she stomped towards the door, fuming. _'Fucking moron couldn't even wait for me to come out of the damn bathroom? Yeah, family emergency my ass! He probably saw his wife or ex-wife walk by the window and ran out. Why else would he choose such a secluded fucking place? Bastard!'_

Stopping at the door, she closed her eyes and inhaled slowly. Up until this point, she had been in a damn good mood. Well, maybe not a damn good mood, but it was better than her mood on most days.

'_He did me a favor, that's all! He did me a fucking favor! I probably would have slept with him, started to like him, and forgot why I despise these penis carrying bastards,'_ she thought as she turned and, for some unknown reason, headed towards the bar.

Sitting down on one of the stools at the far end of the bar and away from a couple openly necking, Kagome growled, hating herself for even letting Sango talk her into halfway thinking that any man was different from what she was accustomed to.

"Can I get you something?" the bartender, who was a very attractive native, asked.

"Double Martini on the rocks," she replied without thinking about it. _'What was I thinking? Here I am considering sleeping with that jerk and he runs out on me. Wow, wow, and double damn wow! I can't win for fucking losing,'_ she thought heatedly.

Perhaps a small part of her wanted to, desperately needed to believe that perhaps all men weren't the same. It wanted to believe that maybe, just maybe, there was hope for her. But how could she even entertain that thought when she was always being accosted by assholes, jerks, bastards, cheaters, liars, and pricks?!

"Would you like to open a running tab or do you want to pay for this now?" the bartender queried, while setting her drink in front of her.

"This is going to be long night," Kagome murmured, more to herself.

"Great, I'll open you a tab then," he stated, then finished, "Let me know when you're ready for another one."

"Yeah, okay, whatever," she replied, not caring one way or the other.

'_I'm so sick of this,'_ she thought with a heavy sigh. Resting her elbow on the bar, she let her head fall forward on her balled up fist. How much more of this was she supposed to take before she snapped?

Quite honestly, she was tired. Tired of everything! The losers, the letdowns, the disappointments, and the pretense! All of it!!

'_I swear if I meet one more…pathetic…jerk, I'll scream,'_ she hissed, while taking a nice long slow sip of her drink.

"Caused any accidents lately?"

She heard the voice, but there wasn't a damn thing familiar about it, nor did she pay attention to the words that he'd spoken. Her first thought was, _'This shit is unreal. How is it possible that the entire loser population gravitates towards me? Am I some kind of fucking magnet for losers?'_

She didn't want to turn and look at him, whoever he was, but she knew if she didn't at least snarl at him, he'd think it was okay to sit next to her; and goddamn it, it wasn't!

Closing her eyes, Kagome inhaled slowly and exhaled even slower as she turned in her chair.

Her eyes traveled slowly up the length of his lean body. Over his brown Italian shoes, up his perfectly pressed dark blue slacks, across his brown leather belt, up and across his finely pressed, olive green button down shirt, and then her heart skipped a beat. Her hands became sweaty, and her lips parted as her eyes rose the final quarter of an inch to his fanged mouth and the white hair that hung over his shoulders.

'_No…fucking…w…way,'_ she thought as she stared at him. Her hand came up to cover her chest in a manner befitting someone experiencing heart failure.

Kagome quickly took in his chiseled jaw line, his supple perfect lips, his stout nose, and the unbelievable golden eyes that stared back at her as if reading her every thought, dream, fantasy. Then finally, she looked up at the two little ears on top of his head.

The stunned woman shook her head, not wanting to believe that her dream…her lover…her dream lover…her motorcycle bandit was standing there in front of her.

She tried to find something to say, but the only thing that came out was a hesitant, skeptical, "You?" However her thoughts revolved, twisted, intersected, and hissed one word, _'Trouble.'_

**Until Next Time**…(Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated.)

**A/A/T**: I know you guys hate me right now, because this is the moment that you all have been looking forward to, but I just couldn't all of a sudden throw in Inuyasha's point of view. And when I write their first conversation, I want to write it from both of their perspectives. So sit tight it's coming.

Next Chapter: Extreme Measures


	11. Extreme Measures

**A/N:** As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness. I'm sorry for the delay of this update, but over the past few weeks, I've been taken through the wringer and back again. I've already sent most of you PM's about my situation, so to everyone else, I've been mourning the loss of my 27 year old cousin who died of a Massive Heart attack. I don't want to say much else about it, except I'm really fighting or trying to fight of a case of depression that's slowly falling over me. I'm hoping that by posting this chapter and forcing myself to write the next few chapters, that it will help me combat this feeling of hopelessness that wants to consume me. I don't know when the next chapter will be posted, but please try to enjoy the whiplash you're about to experience. Thank you so much for your support!!

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**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership to anyone, with the exception of Nya and Dr. Aikio. All others belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

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**Chapter 11:**

**_Extreme Measures_**

The ambiance at the restaurant was almost a little too romantic for the hanyou.

The place was so very dimly lit that it reminded him of a place you'd take someone that you didn't really want to be seen with. Each table, including the one he was sitting at, was dressed with a basic white linen tablecloth and a simple white candle that sat within a small, elegant multi-colored glass vase.

In between each table, there were frosted glass partitions that were just tall and wide enough to give each table a sense of privacy. The only thing you could see through the glass was a silhouette of the person sitting on the other side. It almost made it feel as if you were being given your own private little world, at least for a little while.

At the far left corner of the establishment and near the hallway that led to the bathrooms, there was a massive black Steinway piano that was being played by an elderly American looking gentleman.

Glancing around the restaurant and towards the bar area, Inuyasha had to admit that if he was ever in need of a place to take a date, this would definitely come in handy, if only for the anonymity it brought.

After straightening out the cuffs on his finely pressed, olive green button down shirt, Inuyasha picked up his glass and swallowed the rest of his drink. Since he'd arrived at the restaurant, he'd been sipping on Stilettos, which was basically well-aged bourbon and amaretto with a twist of lime. It was something that he didn't drink often, but had it whenever he wanted to feel mellow.

It was something the Sesshomaru had turned him onto a few years back. The ass had told him at that time that it was a drink he needn't order because the aged bourbon demanded class, which was something that he, being a hanyou, had none of.

"Always the asshole," Inuyasha mumbled, then downed the rest of the bittersweet delight.

Resting his forearm on the table, he twirled the ice around in the empty glass as his mind turned in the direction of his pushy secretary and friend, though he hated to admit it, Nya.

It had happened just like he thought it would. The morning after he'd basically hung up on her, she'd stormed into the office and essentially guilted him into going on the date. He tried to make up excuses, but each one that he threw at her; she tossed right back in his face.

In the end, he realized two things. First, she knew him a little too damn well, and second, she really had no fucking idea how to mind her own goddamn business.

Noticing his waitress walking in his direction, the hanyou stated while holding out the glass for her to take, "Bring me another one."

"Of course. Are you ready to order or will someone be joining you?" she queried politely.

Without looking up at her, Inuyasha replied, his voice holding arrogance that he only used when speaking with his subordinates, "Just bring me the drink. I'll let you know when I'm ready to order."

Bowing lightly, the young woman that couldn't be much older than 18 or 19 at the most, took his glass and stated, "Right away, Sir."

The well-dressed hanyou had been sitting here at this restaurant for thirty minutes now, but he honestly didn't mind this time. What made it different was that he'd altered the place that the date was supposed take place and purposely failed to inform Nya, therefore she couldn't inform the chick that played with vagina's for a living.

'_Problem solved.'_

He knew it was probably cruel of him to do because the woman was no doubt waiting at the correct restaurant, checking her watch every five minutes and looking at every guy that walked in the door or past the window, thinking that maybe it was him.

Part of him…a very small part of him, wanted to at least phone the place and leave a message for her, but the big, cold part of him couldn't care less if she sat there for minutes, hours or weeks.

'_I bet it'll be a cold day in hell before she goes on another blind date,'_ he thought as he allowed his eyes to roam slowly over the other patrons. Well, the ones that he could see anyway.

It was mostly couples that were celebrating one thing or the other, but there were a few men and even a few women sitting all by themselves as if waiting for someone.

Allowing his eyes to rest for a brief moment on a young man that was sitting at a table a few feet away and behind him, Inuyasha noticed immediately that he was nervously tapping his foot and staring at the door every couple of seconds.

'_Poor bastard probably got stood up and he doesn't even know it yet,'_ he thought with a smirk as he checked his Parmigiani Fluerier wristwatch.

He didn't know why he'd decided to wear it tonight since he'd never desired to wear it any other night. Not even on the day of his wedding. But tonight, he felt compelled to crack the safe open and strap it to his wrist. Any other day he would've just grabbed his TAGHuer Link.

The watch was another priceless family heirloom that was passed down to him from his father. If he remembered correctly, he could only remember a few times, maybe twice, that his father actually wore the damn thing. It actually perplexed the hanyou that his father, or anyone else for that matter, would purchase a watch that cost more than most people's homes did.

Staring down at it with a thoughtful frown, Inuyasha heard his father's voice echoing in his head, _"It's my lucky watch, Inuyasha. As long as I have this, nothing in my life can go wrong."_

Snorting, he thought, _'Lucky, eh? Well since I've had it, I've been married and divorced and all in one fucking month. I guess the luck died with you, Pop.'_

Shaking his head in order to dispel his thoughts, he figured he'd been sitting here long enough to actually put up a believable front. Taking out his cell, Inuyasha quickly punched in Nya's number as he accepted his drink from the waitress with his other hand.

Holding the phone up to his ear, he heard her answer with a chipper, "How's it going? Isn't she pretty?"

"Oi, don't you ever try setting me up again," he griped, his voice holding a hint of annoyance and a tad bit of anger.

"What happened?"

"The stupid bitch stood me up! That's what fucking happened," Inuyasha hissed. Taking the phone from his ear, he took a slow sip of his drink.

"She wouldn't have done that. She was excited about meeting you," Nya tried to explain, but Inuyasha cut her off.

"Excited my ass! That stinking cunt stood me up! This is the last fucking time, Nya! No more dates! No more meet this bitch or that bitch! Your three strikes are up," he hissed as he closed the flip on his phone and turned it off with his thumb.

Sliding the device into his right pocket, Inuyasha quickly drank down his Stiletto as he dug into his left pocket for the money to pay his bill.

Dropping a fifty-dollar bill on the table, the hanyou stood up and prepared to vacate the dimly lit establishment, but as he turned to head towards the entrance, he stopped dead in his tracks.

There she was. The Enchantress… She was a mere twenty feet away from him. He could smell her-almost taste her. There she was, his dream, his forbidden fruit…his myth.

'_What is she doing here?'_ he thought, but quickly berated himself for even thinking such a thing. He didn't care why she was here. She meant nothing to him. He didn't know her. He only dreamt about her every night and thought about her every chance he got.

No, she didn't mean a goddamn thing to him!

He watched her speak with the maitre' de, and then walk slowly in his direction, but she didn't look at him. Her eyes were trained on someone else, someone that for a brief, almost nonexistent moment, he wanted to be.

Sitting down quickly, Inuyasha hid himself behind the partition and willed himself to calm down…willed his heart rate to slow…willed himself to let her remain a dream…a thought…a memory and nothing more.

He could tell by the manner in which her hips swayed, her hair bounced, and the way the soles of her feet glided across the soft carpet that she was everything that he needed-desperately needed to stay away from, but he couldn't walk away when he knew that he should.

Inuyasha watched out of the side of his eye as she took a seat across from the guy he'd been watching earlier.

The fact that she was sitting here with someone else… The knowledge that she had come here to meet this man… The reality that this was more than likely her boyfriend or maybe even her husband should've been enough to make him get up and leave, never to think about her again, but he couldn't; not just yet. Instead, he nodded in the direction of his waitress, letting her know that he was ready for another Stiletto.

He heard her giggle lightly at something the human man said, and, without thinking about it, his ears swiveled backwards and he was listening, eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Wow, I was really nervous about meeting you, but now I don't know why I even wasted the energy. You're absolutely stunning," the man complimented nervously.

Inuyasha didn't know that it was possible, but he could've sworn he heard her blush as she inquired softly, "Why, what did you expect?"

"I don't know. Sango kept telling me that you were nice and you know what they say when someone sets you up on a blind date with a person that they claim is 'nice.'"

"No, what do they say?" she queried evenly.

"You can prepare to meet someone with a really great personality, but she or he will more than likely be a dog in the looks department."

They both laughed at that, and Inuyasha inwardly cringed. Even her laughter was calling to him, making him want to be the one sitting across from her, engaging in idle chatter. _'It's their first date,'_ he deduced as his thought continued, _'So he's not her boyfriend and damn sure isn't her husband.'_

Why did that make him happy? Why did that make a small part of him jump for joy? He didn't want her. He was better off by himself.

Taking his drink from the waitress, Inuyasha heard the Enchantress state, "That's funny enough, but it makes you sound a little shallow."

"Please, don't take it like that," her date pleaded softly, "I just happen to believe that for a relationship to work, you have to be with someone that you not only love and respect, but also wouldn't mind being seen in public with."

Inuyasha had to agree with the idiot about that one. No one wants to be walking around with the hunchback of Notre dame on his arm.

"Good answer, Akitoki, but I'm going to be watching you," she replied with a soft giggle.

'_She has laughed with him three times. She likes him,'_ Inuyasha thought, knowing that in a male's mind…any male's mind, if you can get the girl to laugh and keep her laughing then she likes you and there will more than likely be a second date and maybe even sex. _'What the hell did she mean by she's going to keep an eye on him?' _he thought possessively, forgetting that he had absolutely no right to claim even the air around her. Hell, he still didn't even know her name.

"So does that mean that you'll go on another date with me, Kagome?"

Inuyasha sat forward, his chin almost hitting the table. This couldn't be the same woman Rin was taking about! There was no way that the Kagome that worked with Rin and the one that he'd almost crashed into could be one and the same. This world…Japan just wasn't that fucking small. Turning his head slowly, he tried to get a glimpse of her, but the fucking partition was blocking his view.

Shaking his head, he focused back in on their conversation; maybe she'd say something or the ass would ask a question that would help him get to the bottom of this.

"Akitoki, are you asking me out on another date? We only met 10 minutes ago," she replied, her voice laced with skepticism. "You've barely even asked me anything about myself."

"Well, I don't want to find out everything on the first date. That way, if you give me your phone number or if you actually do give me another date, we'll have more to talk about."

'_This fucker is too good,'_ Inuyasha thought, believing that the guy was just telling her what she and every other woman wanted to hear. Sure, he could've been genuine, but for some reason, one that he didn't want to face, he'd rather believe that this Akitoki bastard was a lying, cheating, degenerate.

Inuyasha figured that the Akitoki guy must have thrown her off with his response because she stuttered, "I… We…We'll see. Let's see if we can get through this date first, okay?"

"Fair enough, pretty lady, but I'll tell you now, I'm not going to take no for an answer," he replied, and then finished, "When I see something I want, I tend to go after it."

'_He sounds like a fucking stalker,'_ Inuyasha thought, and then mimicked the man's words in a low whiney tone, "When I see something I want, I tend to go after it." Snorting, he finished, "Who in the hell does he think he is?"

The man's comment must have unnerved her as well because a moment later, Inuyasha heard her politely excuse herself, saying that she was going to powder her nose. _'Yeah right, she's probably running for the hills,'_ he thought as he watched her walk away and towards the bathrooms.

Glancing back at the guy, Akitoki, who was currently talking quietly to his waiter, Inuyasha smirked mischievously. What he was about to do was wrong in every sense of the word and he knew that he had no right to interfere with this strange woman's date, but he couldn't have stopped himself even if he tried.

As stupid as it sounded and being that he didn't know a damn thing about her with the exception of her name, he felt like she was cheating on him. Since she had no idea that he even existed, it was up to him to put an end to this farce of a date. He wanted her all to himself even if it was only in his dreams…his thoughts.

Swallowing the rest of his drink, which was more than a little watered down at this point, he glanced once around the room and quickly walked towards the unsuspecting young man's table.

Schooling his features so that his expression was impassive and rather intimidating, Inuyasha ran his claws slowly across the glass partition separating him and the human. He watched the young man look up at him, his eyes showing everything that he was feeling.

Fear, confusion, worry, it was all there.

Rounding the thin partition, Inuyasha sat down in the seat that his dream lover had just vacated. Inhaling, his expression remained blank as he stared at the man while allowing the remnants of her scent to waft over him.

"Oi," Inuyasha stated nonchalantly.

Akitoki squirmed in his seat as he glanced around the room then back at the interloper. "Do…Do I know you?"

Inuyasha stared at the man, his expression never changing though inside he laughed fiendishly. Tapping his claws on the table as if he was impatiently waiting on something or someone, he responded coldly, "Nope, and, trust me, you don't want to either."

"Wh…What do you want? I'm on a date," Akitoki stated, trying to sound as intimidating as possible, but failing miserably. He knew this man was not a man at all; he was a youkai.

"That's why I'm here." Inuyasha sat forward, his eyes locked with that of the human's. "Do you, by any chance, know who you're on a date with?"

Akitoki sat back, his bushy eyebrows raised ever so slightly. "Ka…Ka…Kagome," he stuttered.

Inuyasha snorted lightly and leaned a little further across the table, his fangs bared slightly. "You're on a date with the daughter of the leader of the Yakuza, you moron," he lied.

"Ya…Yakuza?" Akitoki stuttered. He knew that the Yakuza were notorious for making people disappear. They ran the underworld in Japan, and practically owned the police department. Sliding his chair away from the table, he stuttered, "Sh…She's an Attorney. She's…She can't be…"

Growling at the young man as he continued to babble incoherently, Inuyasha hissed, "Shut up! Do you know what happened to the last guy that tried to date Kagome?"

The visibly trembling man shook his head in a negative fashion, but didn't reply verbally.

"Trust me, you don't want to know. I still have nightmares about what I had to do to the poor bastard." Sitting back, the hanyou kissed his tongue against his teeth and checked his watch nonchalantly as he continued, "This can happen one of three ways. I'll let you decide which you'd prefer. I can kill you here or I can kill you tonight while you sleep in your cozy little rat infested apartment."

Inuyasha allowed that to sink in for a minute, he then tugged on the cuffs of his sleeves, and finished, "Or you can get up and walk away. Forget you ever met Kagome. Forget the way she looks, the way she smells, the sound of her voice. Just forget you ever met her." Standing up, he shoved his hands in his pockets and stated over his shoulder, "If I'm forced to see you again, Akitoki, I will be the last face you ever see...trust me."

The hanyou wanted to burst out laughing as he made his way back to his table. He couldn't believe that he had just done that! He couldn't believe that he'd just told a bold faced lie to that man and with a straight face.

He didn't know a fucking thing about the Yakuza, but hey it worked, because not even 30 seconds later, the young man breezed past him and out the door, only stopping momentarily to say something to the maitre' de.

'_Fucking coward,'_ Inuyasha hissed as he nodded once more for his waitress to bring him a drink. Just then, he watched the woman, his enchantress, walk in the direction of the table but was stopped by the maitre' de.

Slinking down in his seat, he watched her face go from gentle and welcoming to almost livid. _'That's the bitch I know,'_ he thought with a smirk as she stormed towards the table to retrieve her jacket.

Inuyasha could hear her mumbling something about bastards, assholes, and people wasting her fucking time. He at no time even considered the fact that he was to blame; all he cared about was that he now had his dream all to himself.

She stormed towards the door then stopped as if she had to rethink her actions. Turning on her heel, she headed over to the bar where he watched her take a seat, and then order a drink.

Sitting up, Inuyasha stared at her as if seeing her for the first time. She was dressed nicely in a long, tight-fitting gray skirt with a soft pink, thin long sleeve scoop neck blouse that hung just low enough around her neck to show off her well-endowed mounds.

'_If I approach her, would she recognize me?' _he thought, but quickly thought better of it. He didn't get rid of that ass of a date so that he could approach her; he just wanted to remember her alone, the way she was when he first met her

'_If I approach her, what will it hurt? If I just strike up a conversation, that won't change a thing, will it? I don't want a relationship with her, I just…'_ he thought.

He knew deep down that if he talked to her… If he approached her and struck up a conversation, the mystery to his dreams, his thoughts about her would vanish. That was the only reason he had taken to her in such a way. It was because she didn't know him and he didn't know her. If he talked to her now, if he covered the short distance between them and talked to her, she would eventually become just another memory, another reason why he shouldn't trust. She'd become just another reason not to let anyone get close to him again.

Staring at her for a moment longer, Inuyasha couldn't stop himself from noticing just how lonely she seemed. The weird thing was her loneliness seemed to call out to him like nothing else ever had.

The hanyou couldn't quite understand it, but before he was able to put thought to his actions, he was striding in her direction. The closer he got to her, the more her scent-her aura, called to him, twisted around him, and clouded his mind.

Everything in him screamed, 'Turn around! Run in the other direction! Don't…Don't fall for this again! Don't get caught up in someone else's fairy tale!' But it was too late. He was too close. She was right there.

His lips moved without his permission. "Caused any accidents lately?" he questioned coolly.

She turned slowly in her seat, recognition draped over every inch of her perfectly crafted face. Her lips parted slowly, sensually as her hand came up to rest over her heaving bosom.

He could hear her heart racing within her chest and sense the slow rise of her aura as she stared at him without blinking. It was almost as if she was seeing a ghost, a figment of her imagination, the answer to an enigma.

"You," she whispered hoarsely, hesitantly.

Inuyasha smiled boastfully. _'She remembers me,'_ he thought, but why did that make him happy?

Stepping forward, he stated smoothly, "Me, but I'm better known as Inuyasha." He then finished, while nodding towards the empty seat next to her, "Is this seat taken?"

**Until Next Time**…(All other's have been sent PM's)

Next Chapter: The Games We Play


	12. The Games We Play

**A/N: Beware of Profanity!! **As always all characters will be walking that fine thin line called OOCness. Sorry, once again, for the late update. I am, however, feeling much better. I'm not settled in my house yet, but I do have a bed, cable, phone, and Internet, so I'm one happy camper. From here on out, the updates should be as they were before. Thanks my friends, for sticking with me through this. While you're reading this chapter, try to remember that you're dealing with two very jaded people that don't necessarily want to find a significant other. They believe that their lives are better the way they are and that any relationship endeavor will undoubtedly end in disaster. They have absolutely no faith, whatsoever, in the opposite sex. You have been warned. Besides, Cannon Inu loves to tick off Cannon Kagome, and since he doesn't have his necklace… (ROFL)

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**Disclaimer: **I do not claim ownership to anyone, with the exception of Nya and Dr. Aikio. All others belong to Rumiko Takahashi.**

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_**The Games We Play**_

Not waiting for a reply from her, Inuyasha set his drink down on the bar as he pulled the stool out with his free hand and took a seat. Glancing over at the stunned woman, he queried mockingly, "Are you trying to catch flies or were you a fish in your former life?"

As soon as those words fell from his lips, he knew he'd already started off down the wrong path, which wasn't his initial intention. Hell, quite honestly, he hadn't a clue as to what his initial intention was. He was just drawn to her.

Kagome continued to stare at the silver-haired, golden-eyed Adonis, her mind refusing to believe what her eyes were seeing. Sure, he'd spoken to her. Yes, she could smell his ever so subtle cologne. Without a doubt, she could feel the heat radiating off of his body, but still she found it hard to accept that he was here. That he was speaking to her, that he had just taken a seat next to her, that he was sitting here staring at her, expecting her to speak to him.

'_Did he just say… Wait… What… I'm…' _Shaking her head in an attempt to straighten out her frazzled mind, Kagome looked away from him and quickly downed her drink in one gulp. _'What is he doing here? Why is he speaking to me?' _she thought as she held her glass up so that the bartender would know to bring her another one.

Realizing that she was obviously lost in her own thoughts, Inuyasha asked smoothly, "After almost causing me to wreck my bike, and then yelling at me as if it was 'my' fault, you could at least tell me your name." He in no way wanted her to know how closely he had been watching her, so he had to play the part of a stranger.

Kagome watched him out the corner of her eye. _'I'm supposed to say something! I'm supposed to say something! What the hell am I suppose to say to him? What in seven hells did he ask me?'_ she thought frantically as she took her drink from the bartender and chugged more than half of it.

Inuyasha chuckled softly. He couldn't believe it, but it was undeniable. She was nervous, actually a nervous fucking wreck. That's why she hadn't responded to any of the questions that he'd asked her or acknowledged him the way any other normal person would have.

He chuckled again, then directed his conversation towards the bartender, who was standing in front of them preparing a drink for one of the patrons at the other end of the bar, "When you're done with that, could you get me a Stiletto and have my tab transferred from my table?"

"Of course, just give me a minute," the gentleman replied courteously.

"Oh and whatever she's having, add it to mine," the Hanyou stated as an afterthought. He hadn't said that to be polite, it was more of an egotistical thing than anything else.

Having heard this, Kagome blurted, "No, that's not necessary!"

Turning to look at her, Inuyasha quipped, "So, she does have a tongue."

Kagome looked away again, embarrassed by her outburst. _'What's wrong with me? Why am I acting like this? He's…he's just a man...hanyou. He's just someone that I've been dreaming, thinking, and fantasizing about for the past few weeks. He's no one special! No one special at all!'_ she thought, trying to make herself believe her own load of bullshit.

"I never would've taken you for the shy type, but whatever floats your boat," the Hanyou stated with a shrug, while trying to maintain his own impassive facade.

"I…I'm not shy! I…I just… You just caught me off guard is all."

Taking his drink from the bartender, Inuyasha replied, "Yeah, I noticed."

That got her attention. What did he mean by that? Was he here watching her? Did he see how she acted after finding out that her ass of a date had walked out on her?

Clearing her throat, Kagome half turned to face him, but not enough to show she was even slightly interested in him and asked inquisitively, "What do you mean by that?"

"I meant exactly what I said. I…noticed."

Kagome frowned in thought, one eyebrow raised higher than the other. Taking a sip of her drink in an attempt to rewet her parched throat, she almost choked when she heard what he asked next.

"So, do all your dates run out on you?" He knew he was wrong for adding salt to an already open, burning, and throbbing wound, which he caused, but he just couldn't help himself.

'_He saw that?'_ she thought anxiously as she turned in her seat and quickly scanned the restaurant to see if anyone else was watching her. Noticing that no one was, she turned her attention back to him and avowed with as much bravado as she could muster, "I'll have you know that he had a family emergency." Rolling her eyes as her nervousness fell to the wayside to be replaced by her normal jaded exterior, Kagome finished snappily, "What business is it of yours, anyway?"

Inuyasha sat back in his seat, his arms crossed arrogantly over his chest. "It's not my business, really. I was just wondering what exactly you said to make the poor bastard run like that."

Kagome narrowed her eyes at him, forgetting that this was the same man that she had allowed, in her dreams, to touch and grope her, to bend her over and take her in any way he saw fit. "Yeah, well I'm wondering why you were paying such close attention to what was going on at my table. I'm sure you had a date of your own." She giggled snottily and finished, "Or did she stand you up, so you decided to 'inflict' yourself on me?"

Inuyasha glared at her briefly as he leaned forward, his forearms resting on the edge of the bar. "Please, don't flatter yourself. I just happen to be here getting a drink. I wasn't watching nor paying attention to you or 'your' date," he lied. He finished with, "It was just kind of hard to miss the little piss-ant's hasty departure, is all."

Kagome blinked, unable to believe that he had just said that. _'Don't flatter myself? Don't flatter… Why this obnoxious prick,' _she nearly growled. "Perhaps you should refrain from calling him names, especially when you know nothing about him," she snapped.

She wasn't really trying to defend Akitoki, she just didn't want this Inuyasha person to think she was going to sit here and listen to him talk about things he knew nothing about!

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at her. "You women are unbelievable. That asshole you call a date obviously walked out on you, and you're still here sticking up for him. For fuck's sake, he could've at least waited until you came back to the table." Taking a sip of his drink, he then finished, "Unbelievable. Your kind never ceases to amaze me."

Her head snapped towards him. "My kind? What exactly do you mean by that?"

"You're not very smart are you? I mean women, baka."

Kagome menacingly narrowed her eyes at him and replied, her voice laced with venom, "No, what's unbelievable is that you don't even know him or me, for that matter, and you think that I'll just sit here and listen to you while you belittle him and make me sound like some pathetic, helpless airhead!"

Deciding that he'd humor her just a little before he burst her bubble, Inuyasha asked, "Is he your husband?"

"That's really none of your business, but if you 'must' know, no, he isn't." She wasn't quite sure why she felt the need to make that clear to him, but she did.

"Is he your boyfriend?"

"No, but that's still none of your damn…"

"And yet you keep answering my questions. How long have you known him?"

"That's really none…"

"Were you fucking him?" Inuyasha queried without batting an eye. He knew that was in no way, shape, or form any of his goddamn business. He also knew, by her scent, that she wasn't fucking a damn soul, but he couldn't pass up the chance to see her glow just a little brighter.

Kagome was stunned. He hadn't just asked her that! Surely, he wasn't actually expecting her to answer it! "How dare you," she stated incredulously as she turned to face him, her eyes as big as saucers and her cheeks tomato red.

Inuyasha chuckled fiendishly then replied, "I'll take that as a no, but I bet you wanted to, didn't you?" Turning to face her, he finished, "Did his leaving throw a wrench in your plans? Is that why you were so pissed off when you found out that he'd ditched you?"

Kagome was flabbergasted and mortified like never before. '_What's with this guy? I should have known that he'd be just as much of an ass as all the rest!'_ Turning to face him, her nostrils flaring angrily, she hissed, "If I wasn't sure before, I'm damn sure now that all of you pricks are nothing but a bunch of bastards!"

Inuyasha wasn't quite sure why he was deliberately trying to piss her off, but it was unnatural how easy it was to get her going. It could have been the exotic way she looked when she was fuming mad, or maybe…just maybe, he felt that if he pissed her off enough, she would get up and storm off, thereby correcting his mistake of approaching her in the first place.

The Hanyou was realizing rather quickly that there was more to this woman than her scent or the way she looked or the way she talked. He was realizing that, had he sat here and talked to her about real things, there was a very good chance that they would've connected on an intellectual level, but that was not what he wanted…that wasn't what he needed. Not now, not ever, and especially not with her; not with someone that he knew had the very real possibility of leading him to his deathbed.

Staring at her, a forced boastful smirk on his handsome face, the Hanyou tilted his head slightly to the side and spoke softly in a patronizing voice, "If you're going to insult me and group me in with a bunch of pricks, as you have stated, you could at least tell me your name. Or were manners not something that you were taught?"

The young woman glared defiantly at him, not sure if he was being for real or not. Surely, no one could be this insufferable and arrogant! Why the hell would he approach her if all he wanted to do was antagonize her? Why wouldn't he have just walked away? Why couldn't he have just pretended he didn't know her because she damn sure hadn't known he was here or asked him to sit his supercilious ass down next to her!

Turning her head away from him, Kagome closed her eyes and inhaled deeply a few times in order to quiet her mind and calm the rage that was slowly building within. Turning back towards him, she crooned, her face blank, "Inuyasha? That was your name wasn't it?" Not waiting for him to respond, she finished, "You were a lot nicer before you opened your mouth and started spewing this nonsense!"

Inuyasha laughed and asked again, "What's…your…name?" He had to keep up the pretense that he hadn't a clue as to who she was.

"Higurashi Kagome, if you 'must' know," she snapped, while sitting back and crossing her arms beneath her full breasts.

'_Damn, it really is her. It's the chick Rin was talking about,'_ he thought. He then retaliated, "Well, Higurashi Kagome, if I remember correctly you're still as bitchy as ever, aren't you?"

Kagome growled and turned abrasively away from him. _'He was so much better in my dreams! Damn him! Why did he have to be such a fucking jerk? Why did he have to ruin everything?' _Knowing that he was already getting to her, she tried to school her features and pretend, if only for a moment, that he was not. "Why did you approach me?"

That was a really good question. Why did he approach her? What did he hope to accomplish? Why didn't he just listen to his inner voice? Why didn't he just turn away?

After a mental shrug and a sip of his drink, Inuyasha responded, "I don't really know, but I'm glad I did."

Frowning in concentration, Kagome inquired evenly, her anger slowly beginning to drain away, "Why?"

"Because, you just proved my point. All of you women are all the same, nothing but a bunch of whiny, intolerable bitches." He wanted to kick himself and cut out his own tongue for saying that because he knew that if he hadn't purposely pushed her, if he hadn't brutally attacked her verbally, they would've more than likely hit it off.

Staring at her, his face baring its usual smirk, Inuyasha thought apprehensively, _'This is for the best. This… I should've never approached her. I should've continued… I should have left her as nothing but a dream…a figment of my imagination.'_

Kagome gasped and leaned back away from him, shock and dismay apparent on her beautiful, reddened face. _'Whiny…Intolerable…Bitches?'_ she thought as she stared at him, unable to believe that anyone could be this obnoxious, crass and downright uncouth!

Picking up his glass, Inuyasha downed the rest of his watered down drink while inconspicuously watching her out of the corner of his eye. He hated himself for saying that, but it was not something that he would take back. Women, the women he knew and met, with the exception of Rin and his mother, were whiny and downright intolerable. And hey, they were of the female persuasion, weren't they?

Kagome stood quickly to her feet, her drink in hand. Staring at him with flames in her eyes, she hissed quietly and through clenched teeth, "Whiny…intolerable…bitches? Why you uptight, pompous jackass! How dare you?" Grinding her teeth together, she continued, "If we're so fucking whiny and intolerable why can't losers, like yourself, stay the fuck away from us? Why can't you son's of bitches keep your stinking little dicks in your fucking pants, huh?" Not waiting for him to reply, she continued with her rant, "You have the balls to force yourself in on my private time when you definitely weren't invited, and then have the audacity to take out 'your' feelings of inadequacies on 'me', when you're the one with the goddamn problem! I think not, Mr. Inuyasha, King of All Pricks!"

Inuyasha swallowed hard as he stared at the woman before him. Perhaps anyone else would've been firing mad right now, but he wasn't. If anything she was turning him on like nothing else ever had.

'_How fucking sick is this?' _he asked himself as she continued with his brow beating.

"You waltz in here with your corny ass pick-up lines, your ungodly colored eyes, and those things on your head and you think that I'm going to sit here and let you berate me? I don't know who you have me confused with, but you really need to pull your head out of your ass and open you fucking eyes because I am not just some pathetic weak bitch that you can talk to any kind of way." Her voice resembled the venomous hiss of a deadly cobra.

Stepping closer to him so that she was practically pressed up against him, her breath hot on his face, his aura unknowingly wrapping around her, beckoning her closer, she continued, "You, good sir, aren't worth the time and energy it takes an ant to move a grain of salt across the fucking floor!"

Before he could think about what he was doing, Inuyasha reached out and grasped her hips as he continued to stare into her fiery eyes. At some point, he'd turned completely around to face her. He was now sitting with his legs parted, she, standing between them.

Inuyasha inadvertently began to memorize every dip, wrinkle, and dimple on her gorgeous face. He inhaled her scent, allowed his aura to wrap around her, and reveled in the heat that radiated off of her body in angry, violent waves.

"I should've run you over when I had the chance, I'm sure I would've been doing the world a favor," she continued harshly, her mind oblivious to the proximity of their bodies, the fact that the entire room was now watching them closely, and the fact that his lips were mere inches from hers.

"You should've run…me over," he mumbled in agreement as he slowly sniffed around her mouth, his eyes now closed to the world around them. _'What am I doing? I don't…I don't want this! Her scent…her fucking scent… It's so…It's so…'_ His youkai, stirred by her scent, proximity, and fury, almost broke through. It wanted this woman…this…this volatile, beautiful, enticing creature.

The human part wanted, needed to deny it and push her away, while his youkai pulled and compelled him to be closer to her. Yet it was so fucking hard to accept that finally, after internally fighting a nearly losing battle, he felt that he had no other choice but to force his eyes to snap open and squash the need to toss her bitchy ass over his shoulder and run out of the establishment.

Letting his hand drop away from her heated hips, Inuyasha replied softly, his voice husky, sensual, and laced with desire, "Do…Do you kiss your mother with a mouth like that?"

Kagome shook her head; it was like being doused with a bucket of ice-cold water. She knew her eyes were open, but when did she get this close to him? Why could she feel his breath misting over her face? Why did she feel the remnants of his touch on her hips? How was it possible that she could see her reflection in those ungodly mesmerizing eyes of his? Why…why were her hands resting comfortably on his biceps, and why in gods name wasn't she pushing him a way?

Stepping back away from him, Kagome did the only thing she could. She became defensive and hissed, "You fucking pervert! Don't you ever fucking touch me," as she threw her drink in his face and, without sparing another moment, hightailed it away from the bar and out of the restaurant.

Inuyasha sat there stunned. Part of him couldn't believe that she'd actually done that, but the liquid burning his eyes was proof enough that it had definitely happened. And if that wasn't enough, the fact that he could feel the eyes of every occupant in the place staring at his back was enough to seal the deal.

Yep, the bitch had definitely thrown her fucking drink on him.

'_That bitch,' _he hissed to himself, as he slowly began to wipe the liquid away from his eyes.

The bartender inquired concernedly, "Sir, are you okay?" while handing him a clean towel.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Inuyasha replied with a chuckle as he graciously took the towel and began to dab at the sticky substance and then finished, "What's the total for the drinks-and don't forget to add hers in?"

The young man looked at him as if he was crazy. Now most people wouldn't give two shits about paying the bill for someone that had just tossed a drink in their face, but Inuyasha knew he deserved it, even if it wasn't for the reason she thought he did.

'_That crazy psychotic bitch.'_

Deciding that he didn't need to wait on the check, Inuyasha dug into his left pocket and pulled out a hundred dollar bill. Dropping it on the bar, he stated, "That should be enough to take care of it," as he stood to his feet and dropped the towel in the seat he'd just vacated.

He knew people were still watching him because he could feel their eyes boring into the side of his head and into his back, but he didn't care as he shoved his hands deep into his pockets and proceeded past the maitre' de and out into the cool night air.

Once there, he threw his head back and laughed. When was the last time that he'd felt so alive? When was the last time that he'd almost lost control? The truth was, up and until tonight, he hadn't a clue.

As he turned in the direction of where his car was parked, he watched as a baby blue convertible Mercedes Sports Coupe pulled out of the parking lot, and there she was again-his runaway dream, his unattainable enigma.

Inuyasha stopped, his hands still shoved deep in his pockets as he stared at her and silently willed her to look at him one last time. The wind whipped around him, disheveling his already mussed hair, but he paid it no mind, his one and only focus, her.

After leaving the restaurant, Kagome realized three things rather quickly. One, she really needed to seek anger management. Two, her dream lover, her motorcycle bandit, definitely was not the god that she had made him out to be in her mind. He was the ultimate ass that spoke what he felt, didn't mince words, and cared very little for other people's feeling. Three, knowing all that, he still was able to turn her on in a way no one ever had.

'_So it wasn't a fluke the first time. I…I guess, I hadn't imagined it.'_

She knew their proximity wasn't his fault. She was the one that jumped off her chair and approached him. She'd found out a little too late that everything about him was turning her on, making her weak, and that's what stunned her the most. How could someone as infuriating and narcissistic as he was, have such and effect on her? How could she…how could she even entertain the thought that maybe, just maybe, there was more to the man than what he showed her a few moments ago?

'_I'm so fucking pathetic,'_ she thought hatefully.

As she sat there, waiting patiently for her chance to go, she could feel someone staring at her, and slowly, she turned.

It was him, her dream gone awry, standing there looking as debonair as ever in his now wet olive green shirt, his nice slacks with matching belt and shoes, his hair blowing in the wind, and that telling smirk on his face.

'_If only we hadn't met like this,'_ she thought absently.

What could she do? Was there anything to do? She was sure he knew as well as she did that this, whatever it was, whatever chemistry they had, didn't have a chance in hell of working. Besides, what was the point? He was as much of an ass as she was a bitch. Even a blind, deaf, and dumb man could see that.

Turning away from him, Kagome quickly turned down the street and disappeared from his sight and, she hoped, out of his life.

As Inuyasha watched her drive away, part of him wanted to run up to her car and apologize for being such an ass, but the part that had dealt with the pain of losing Kikyo kept telling him that things were better this way.

It knew that, contrary to what his heart was telling him and regardless of what his youkai demanded, he wasn't ready to step into those waters with her. It knew that the only outcome would be the total and utter decimation of his very soul. That's what it desperately needed to believe, anyway.

Sighing heavily, Inuyasha dug into his pockets for his keys as he silently told himself repeatedly, _'This is for the best. This is for the best. This is for the best.'_ Stepping up to his car, he placed the key in the lock and twisted it to the right once to unlock his door.

All of the tiny, torn bits of his soul that still believed in love were screaming at him to go after her, to do something to make this right, but he couldn't. He just…couldn't.

Quieting the voices quickly, the Hanyou shook his head as he turned the key in the ignition and mumbled to no one, "I'm better off not knowing what could've been."

**Until Next Time**…(Your two cents are greatly appreciated)

Next Chapter: Mental…Reprieve?


	13. Mental Reprieve?

**A/N**: As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness. Beware of foul language!! This chapter lays the groundwork for the beginning of the end, so pay attention!! Sorry for the delayed update, but I'm officially all caught up now. I actually have two extra chapters, meaning 14 and 15 waiting in the wings. Anyway thanks for your wonderful reviews and support!! If the reviews are plentiful this go round maybe I'll post a chapter in the middle of the week instead of waiting for Friday, but that's up to you guys!! Let's all give a bow to my wonderful beta, Neko Lady, who gives her time so freely to my little works of love. Thank you, Mama Neko.

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**Disclaimer**: I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, and Dr. Aikio. All others, thankfully, belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

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**Chapter 13**:

_**Mental…Reprieve?**_

Morning came swiftly on the wings of a squawking bird that slammed itself up against his window, jarring him out of a wicked dream he'd been having about a woman whose name he'd rather not mention at the moment.

When Inuyasha finally made it home the night before, he wasn't angry with her for what she'd done. So, he deduced, it had to be the dream that he had about her which had him seething mad at the moment and for the past few hours.

He wasn't stupid; he knew it was just a dream. Well, once he'd actually awoken, he realized it was a just a goddamn dream, which actually had a bittersweet effect on him.

The bitter part was the way it made him feel inept, weak, and helpless. The sweet part was the manner in which she touched him at times. The fact that she was there, and the way in which she was able to make him hate her, yet yearn for her all at the same time.

_**Flashback**_

_Cool air blew gently across his body, causing him to stir slightly, but still he tried fitfully to hold on to what was left of his dream. He tried to fight, tried to hold on to the soothing darkness that held him like a gentle lover, but he couldn't. The air around him… Something… Something was wrong… Something was off; he just didn't know exactly what that could be._

_Begrudgingly, Inuyasha lethargically opened his lazy golden eyes and stared around his room._

'_What the fuck!' he thought confusedly as he stared into the darkness that seemed to engulf him and everything around him._

'_Did the fucking power go out again?' he thought, trying to sit up, but realizing quickly that, that just wasn't an option. _

_The hanyou tried pulling up his left arm and then his right one, but realized that someone or something had them tied down. He then tried moving his legs in the same manner, but it was a futile attempt at best._

'_Who… What the fuck is going on?' he thought as his dismay quickly turned into anger, which in return caused him to pull more aggressively against the ties that bound him._

_The hanyou was tied in an X formation; both legs tied apart from one another and both of his arms tied above his head, yet apart. _

_How this was possible, he hadn't a clue because he didn't own a four post bed. His bed was of the platform persuasion, which puzzled him even more because he knew, could feel that he was still in his own home with his own belongings, though he couldn't see a goddamn thing!_

'_What the hell is going on?' He stared around what he knew was his room again, trying desperately to see something…anything, a hint of light, a flicker of lint, something…anything. There was nothing but darkness, nothing but an unending pool of darkness that seemed to sneer back at him._

_A soft breeze blew across his skin and he had a shocking revelation, 'Why in seven fucking hells am I naked?' He could feel the air that came from out of nowhere wrap around his member and cause his balls to shrink just a little._

_Inuyasha growled low and tried to shout some sort of profanity at whomever had done this, but nothing came out. His mouth, his fucking mouth, had something soft shoved in it._

'_Holy shit! What the fuck…' he thought frenetically, but more important, 'Why the fuck didn't I notice this before?'_

_He struggled aggressively against the ties. Why couldn't he break them? He was a goddamn hanyou; surely, something like this shouldn't have been enough to hold him._

'_Son of a bitch,' he hissed as he tried to push whatever was in his mouth out with his tongue, but found that, whatever it was, it wasn't budging an inch._

'_You wait… Whoever you are… Just you fucking wait, I'll gut your fucking ass, I promise you that!' he thought feverishly as he slammed his head back against the soft mattress a few times._

"_Now, now is that any way for the Great Inuyasha, King of All Pricks to act?" a soft sensual voice teased from somewhere hidden within the darkness._

_**End Flashback, for now**_

'_Bitch',_ he thought heatedly as he shook his head, knowing that by cursing her for doing something 'his' very own mind had created, lowered him to the emotional age of a second grader.

Staring out the window of his office, Inuyasha shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his worn blue jeans and frowned. He didn't want to think about the dream, but, no matter what he did, his mind automatically went back to it…to her.

As he took his morning shower, as he dressed and combed his hair, as he climbed into the elevator, as he got into his car and drove to the office, she…the dream was the only thing he could think about.

_**Flashback, continued**__…_

_He recognized the voice almost immediately, but more importantly he recognized the name she'd called him. 'King of All Pricks? That fucking bitch… How'd she get in here?' He fought against the ties fiercely as he ground out or, rather, grumbled a few incoherent and best-left unheard obscenities towards her._

_The darkness parted at the foot of the bed, giving just enough light for him to see her silhouette while the rest of the room remained smothered in darkness._

_He looked away from the light and down at his naked lap, his stomach, and then his feet. His breathing picked up erratically. How dare she make a fool of him? How dare she put him on display for God knows who to see?_

_Inuyasha glared daggers at what he knew was her profile as it slowly walked towards him. The first thing he saw was a smirk on her face and it caused him to growl and try to pitch up at her, but he was tugged back down by the bindings, which he now knew where just cloth ties._

'_What the fuck?' he questioned as he tugged against them again._

"_You can pull all you want, King of All Pricks, you won't escape," she avowed, coming to a stop at the foot of the bed and directly in between his open legs._

_**End Flashback, for now**_

'_King of All Pricks…? Yeah, well, you're the biggest bitch I've ever met!' _he thought while staring down at the newly waking city below him. This only caused him to growl once more. He hated, absolutely loathed, getting up early on the weekend.

'_I guess I can thank that prick for this, eh?' _he questioned acerbically, knowing the answer.

Sesshomaru had phoned shortly after he'd awakened to inform him that one of the 2 billion dollar deals that they'd been working on was falling apart at the seams. Therefore, they had to get to the office to conduct an important conference call between their clients in Seattle, Washington, and the merging company based out of India.

It was going on nine o'clock and still his brother hadn't come in yet, which irked him even more. _'If it was such a big fucking emergency, why in hell hasn't he gotten here?'_

Turning away from the window, he sat down at his desk and began punching in his security code so that he could access the required information he'd need for the conference call.

Sitting back, he stared at his computer screen as it hummed to life. The screen went from black to blue, then back to black and, just like that, he was lost in his dream of the night before.

_**Flashback, again**_

_He growled violently, promising her pain if he got loose as he stared up at her, taking in everything about her and hating himself for liking it._

_She wore her hair up in a high ponytail that fell partially down her back and over her shoulders. Her face was made up of dark, smoldering eye shadow, dark thick eyeliner, light rosy cheek blush, and her lips had the most beautiful shade of pink on them._

_Inuyasha swallowed hard. He hated her, hated her for making him appear weak. He hated her and despised the day he fucking met her! _

_Still, his eyes continued to travel down the length of her body as she stood there quietly, wearing a sinister smirk. It was almost as if she knew what he was doing._

_She wore a black leather bustier that pushed her breasts up to the point that it looked like at any moment they would pop out. The lace string that held it together fell low across the tender flesh of her pink, inviting abdomen and down to a pair of what looked like excruciatingly tight leather short pants, or were they underwear because they sure left very little to the imagination._

_He swallowed again, his anger beginning to fall away and be replaced by lust as his eyes continued their perusal of her._

_Her hips curved out ever so slightly as the rest of her legs dipped into a pair of black, thigh-high, fishnet panty hose that were being sensually held up by a pair of straps of some sort. _

_He couldn't be sure what they were called, but he knew he'd seen them on Kikyo, and on a few high-class strippers at his bachelor party, though they didn't look anywhere near as good. _

'_God…Damn,' he thought absently._

_**End Flashback, again**_

The Hanyou swallowed hard as her form disappeared from his mind. His heart was racing, his palms sweaty, and his member hard as steel against the inside of thigh.

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, hating himself for allowing a memory of her, one that he really would prefer not to have, to get him so aroused.

If he'd set his anger aside for a moment, he would've realized that he wasn't really angry with her. He was angry with himself for allowing her to make him feel like a weak, pathetic, helpless pup.

Forgetting once again that the dream, the entire dream, was a figment of his imagination, he mumbled, "No one ties me up! Who in the hell does she think she is? Wait until I see her again… I won't be nearly as nice as I was last night!"

Glaring at the computer screen as if at any moment he would toss it out the window, Inuyasha grimaced as the next scene from his dream danced before his mind's eye.

_**Another Flashback**_

_He pulled against the bindings again, but she stopped him with her movement. _

_Her hand came up so that her fingernails were gently running in slow tantalizing circles along the inside of his calf and up his thigh. "You called me whiney, intolerable, and bitchy, didn't you?" Not waiting for a response, she finished, "Let's see who's really whiney, intolerable and downright bitchy." She brought her hand up and slapped it down against the inside of his inner thigh._

'_You fucking bitch! I'll fucking… I'll fucking…' His irate thought died just as quickly as it came, as she began to soothingly rub the spot she'd just swatted. 'Fucking…cunt,' he hissed silently as he stared at her, his mind unable to comprehend exactly what she was thinking._

"_King of All Pricks, you remind me of a whiny intolerable bitch when you squeal like that,' she stated with a soft playful giggle._

_He blinked a few times. 'Okay, this has to be fucking dream! This…this shit can't be for real.' He stared around again, closed his eyes and counted to ten and still she was there, smiling down at him with that smirk that made him want to devour her face, literally._

"_Did I hurt you? I'm so sorry,' she sang in a painfully patronizing tone._

_Inuyasha mumbled something incoherent and glared at her._

"_What's that? I can't hear you," she teased as she leaned towards him, her hands now hidden behind her back. "Oh, that's right, you can't say anything with this in your mouth," she finished pushing gently on the furry ball taking up residency in his mouth._

_Walking the fingers of one hand down his chin and slowly over the groove of his chest to his abdomen, while the other remained behind her back, she stated, "You had so much to say at our first meeting that I thought I'd give you a break." Smiling genuinely as she looked him over, she finished, "Wasn't that nice of me?"_

_If looks could kill, he was sure that her corpse would've been 'eight' feet under and decaying at a rapid pace. Turning his head away from her in a show of defiance, Inuyasha groaned loudly, painfully as he felt what must have been a whip crack against his bare chest, stomach, and a little too damn close to his male parts._

'_Ouch!! You fucking bitch! I'll…I'll… You stupid cunt!' he thought hatefully as his body tensed painfully and rose up off the bed. His face was twisted in agony and his fists were balled up tightly in anger. _

_He wanted to grab her by her arms and shake the living shit out of her! He wanted to curse her; he wanted…he wanted…to throw her out a fucking window! He wanted…he wanted to fuck the living shit out of her!_

_She lowered her face down to his, taunting him, "Come now, surely that didn't hurt! It couldn't hurt a big, loud mouth hanyou such as yourself, could it?"_

_**Another, End Flashback**_

Inuyasha shook his head. He could almost feel the whip that she dangled gloatingly in his face moments later, taunting him. Standing to his feet, he started to pace irritably.

'_She had no right to do that! So what if I said some things that I shouldn't have said! So fucking what if I made her 'boyfriend' run off! So fucking what, I don't feel guilty! I don't give a fuck!'_ he tried to tell himself.

How could something that he knew was a dream get to him like this? Why couldn't he just let this go? Why couldn't this be like the majority of other dreams he had over his lifetime? Why couldn't he have just forgotten about it, her?

Perhaps it was his subconscious's way of making him pay for the underhanded way he went about getting rid of her date, Akitoki. Or maybe it was his conscience's way of showing him that, had the tables been reversed, had he been on the receiving end, he wouldn't have faired much better than she did.

Inuyasha quickly and with little thought, tossed that idea into his mental wastebasket. He wasn't ready to think about this rationally yet! He wasn't ready to accept the blame for the way she teased and toyed with him. He wasn't ready to say that it was only a dream, no harm done, because in his mind… To him there had been more than enough damage done to his pride, his ego.

'_Bitch,'_ he mumbled angrily as he checked his watch quickly then looked up at the door. "Where is he?" he hissed.

It wasn't like he had anywhere to go or even anything to do, for that matter; he just didn't feel like being here alone with his thoughts. He needed a distraction, badly.

_**Final Flashback**_

_From there, everything moved so fast that he had to wonder if this was really happening to him or if he was watching it happen to someone else._

_One moment she was straddling him, grinding her crotch into his member, and then she would be slapping his face repeatedly. The next, she was digging her eerily long nails into the tender flesh of his chest and the tender area around his nipples. The whole time, she smiled down at him as if she were a Cheshire Cat._

_Inuyasha didn't know what to think or to do. Whenever he screamed out, she seemed to revel in his pain. If he stayed quiet and grimaced while trying not to look at her, she'd twist his head back towards her, or she'd pinch and twist his ears until he had no choice but to glare at her._

_He wasn't sure how long this punishment had been going on, but he knew that there wasn't much more of it that he could take. It was degrading, really. _

_There he was, a grown man, tied to a bed, being poked, bitten, whipped, taunted, pinched, and belittled like he was a fucking nobody; and by a skinny human bitch, of all people!_

_When it seemed like she'd finally had enough, she sat back and stared down at him. "Did you enjoy that? Do you want me to continue? I will you know? If you don't want me to continue, you'll have to tell me to stop."_

_Inuyasha growled up at her. 'Stupid cunt, you know I can't say a fucking thing!' He was vexed, beyond pissed, annoyed, irritated, and damn-it, humiliated. He'd never been into SMS or dominatrix or whatever it was called, and he damn sure wasn't going to start now. Bucking his hips violently, he tried vainly to throw her off, but she held on as if she was a professional bull rider or something._

"_You're such a bad little puppy. I thought you would've learned your lesson by now." Kissing her teeth, she finished, "Bad puppies like you have to learn the hard way, I guess."_

_He watched her reach over his head, wondering just what the hell she was reaching for._

_She sat back with a grin on her face, her back straight, her head high, and a jar in her hand…no; maybe it was a small canister. Whatever it was, he knew it was a candle of some sort. _

'_Where in the fuck did that come from?' he thought as he gulped and stared from her to the candle, wondering just what she was going to do with it. _

_Inuyasha watched her slowly tilt it down towards him, all the while wearing that smirk that he was growing to viciously hate. It was like it was happening in slow motion._

_He wasn't stupid; he knew how painful hot wax was. So, the idea of her dumping what could've been an entire jar on him, really didn't sit right with him._

_He pleaded, begged her with his eyes to not do it. His mind screamed for him to do something, to move, and so he did. _

_The next thing he knew he was in his room sitting up against the wall nearest his bed breathing hard and rubbing his chest and arms looking for evidence of wax burns. She was nowhere in sight. There were no ties around his wrist or on the bed and the power was on._

_That's when it finally hit him, that's when he finally understood that it was all a dream, and that's when he got pissed._

_**Final End Flashback**_

Rubbing the back of his neck, he silently thanked the heavens that it was merely a dream. Still, he couldn't stop his nostrils from flaring and his ego from feeling bruised.

How could his mind have created such a scenario? How could he have allowed her to do those things to him, even if it was only in his dreams?

_'I'm supposed to be in control of my dreams, but I had no fucking control what…so…ever.'_

Part of him wanted to accept the fact that it was a dream and nothing more, but the big, manly part couldn't get over the way she stared down at him with disdain. It couldn't deal with the way she taunted and toyed with him.

It… That dream reminded him of how he felt when Kikyo left him.

_'Helpless… Used… Worthless…'_

It reminded him of the games that women play.

_'Stinking cunts! All of them are nothing but a bunch of stinking, rotting cunts!'_

It reminded him of all the times he was teased growing up!

_'Bastards! Worthless bastards!'_

He growled, his fists balled up, begging to connect with something…anything!

It reminded him that all women, every last one of them! They were nothing but a bunch of control freaks that used you for what they could get and tossed you to the wayside when they were done!

They didn't… They never cared about your feelings! They didn't care that they were humiliating you! They didn't care that your heart was breaking! They didn't care…

_'She didn't care that she was destroying me. She took what she wanted and she… That fucking whore!'_ he thought, not realizing that he'd made this personal and directed totally towards Kikyo.

Hearing the door to the outer office swing open, he snapped out of his reverie and immediately tried to school his features as best he could. He quickly decided it was useless. This morning, this fucking weekend was going to hell in a hand basket; he might as well accept it.

"Half-breed," his older brother stated nonchalantly, stopping at the door and leaning lazily against the door jam, his arms crossed comfortably across his chest.

"Asshole," Inuyasha responded with a scowl, knowing that was just Sesshomaru's prick-ish way of saying good morning, good evening, good night, good-bye, and even hello to him.

Staring at the hanyou, one eyebrow raised slightly higher than the other, he stated, "If I cared, I would ask what's wrong with you, but since I really don't, I won't." From the moment he had stepped out of the elevator, he'd sensed that his brother was upset about something, but his character wouldn't allow him to ask what it was.

Inuyasha looked up from his computer screen, a deep frown marring his handsome features. "I…I…" Inuyasha stuttered, taken aback by his older brother's comment. Growling, he snapped, "Fuck you."

Snorting lightly, Sesshomaru uncrossed his arms and stepped into the office. Stopping at the bookshelf that held a few pictures of their family, he picked up a picture of their father hugging Inuyasha's mother from behind. "Inuyasha?"

"What?" the hanyou replied, his voice filled with annoyance.

He wanted to talk to him, to tell him that whatever it was that was bothering him wasn't worth it. He wanted to tell him that it was time to let that Kikyo bitch go. He wanted to tell him that even though it seemed like he hated him, he really didn't, never had or would, but none of that would ever be spoken. Instead, he queried dryly as he sat the picture back down, "Are you ready?"

"Fuck, I should be asking you that, since I've been waiting on your ass to get here. Did you bring a copy of the contract?" Inuyasha asked as he double clicked the print icon so that he could print out a few spreadsheets that Nya had completed the week before.

"Yes, however, Rin has the original."

Grabbing the documents off the printer, Inuyasha walked towards the door. "I assume you'll want to do this in your office."

"You assume correctly," Sesshomaru replied nonchalantly as he turned and headed out the office and towards his own that sat at the very end of the hall. "Will Nya-sama be joining us?"

"Nah, I don't think so. Did you call Jakken?"

Sesshomaru had met Jakken his last year in high school when he saved the little imp of a man from a grueling ass wiping. Ever since then, the toad had been forever at Sesshomaru's beck and call. At first, Inuyasha thought that the little imp youkai was gay, but he quickly realized that there wasn't anything gay about him. He was basically a follower and Sesshomaru the ultimate leader.

"He's staying with Rin until I return."

"What about Hoko?" Inuyasha queried absently, knowing that Sesshomaru never gave the butler a break and especially not with Rin being so close to her due date.

"He had a few errands he needed to run for Rin."

Smirking at the back of his brother's head as he unlocked the door to his office, Inuyasha admitted to himself that he didn't hate his brother nearly as much as he pretended to. However, he did somewhat envy him and that caused him to disliked the full blooded demon a lot, if that made any sense.

Stepping into the office behind Sesshomaru, the hanyou sighed lightly. He was grateful, eternally grateful, that his obnoxious ass was here to distract him away from 'her'. Though that was something else that he'd never, in a million years, admit.

**Until Next Time**…(Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated.)

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**Next Chapter**: 


	14. Forces of Nature

**A/N:** As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness. I don't have much to say about anything, really. So enjoy, and thanks to those of you that actually reviewed the last chapter, to everyone else, thanks for reading. Oh, and thanks to my wonderful beta, Neko Lady. As always, you did an outstanding job!!

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**Disclaimer: **I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, and Dr. Aikio.

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**Chapter 14:**

_**Forces of Nature** _

Rain splattered in thick drops against the windowpane, causing Kagome's already sullen mood to grow darker as the minutes rolled by.

She'd been up since seven that morning trying to busy herself with humdrum activities that really didn't need to be done since her home was always immaculate.

She'd cleaned both bathrooms twice and washed all of the linens and bed sheets. She'd swept and mopped the tile floors, dusted every nook and cranny, and even repositioned the living room furniture. All in an attempt to keep her mind off of…him.

As soon as she'd gotten home the night before, she'd taken a shower, partially dried off and jumped into bed, hoping to sleep away the remainder of the night and most of the next day. That only resulted in her tossing and turning for hours with the sound of his masculine, all too seductive voice, humming through her mind while images of him molded into the blackness behind her closed eyelids.

She knew at some point she must have dosed off because the next thing she remembered she was rolling over and staring out her window at a bleak sky. She tried to pull the covers up over her head in hopes of sleeping a little longer, but after about an hour of staring into nothingness, she gave up and dragged her naked body out of bed.

Holding a dusting cloth in her hand, Kagome stared around her living room, where she'd just finish re-dusting a few of her legal books, which she'd dusted an hour before.

'What else needs to be done?' she asked herself, looking for something…anything that would keep her mind off of 'his' narcissistic ass.

Eyeing the kitchen, she smiled approvingly to herself. 'The oven, I can clean the oven. I never did trust that damn self cleaning shit.'

Just then the phone rang, interrupting her fervent stride. Glancing at the clock, she noticed absently that it was just going on 11 o'clock.

Clearing her throat, Kagome answered with a forced, chipper, "Hello," just glad to have someone or something interrupt her frenzied movements.

"Kagome?"

Frowning slightly since she recognized the voice almost immediately, she replied, her voice loosing all signs of happiness, "Who else would it be?"

"My, aren't we bitchy," Sango observed, then finished, "So, I'm guessing you didn't screw him?"

Dropping her cleaning cloth on the counter, Kagome turned so her back was resting against the edge. Crossing her legs at her ankles, she stated, "Please, by the time I came out the bathroom that asshole was gone."

"Stop messing with me! He wasn't," Sango exclaimed.

Sighing heavily, Kagome quipped, her tone bored, "Do I sound like I'm messing with you?"

"What happened?"

Running her hand down her face exasperatedly, Kagome replied, "Your guess is as good as mine. I went to the bathroom to call you and when I came back he was gone. The maitre' de said he said something about having a family emergency or some shit, I don't know. And, in all honesty, I don't really care."

Sango was quiet for a moment as if she was contemplating something.

"Are you there?" Kagome inquired, noticing she wasn't getting a response. Hoping to change the subject, she asked, "Anyway, what's up with you?"

"Same shit, you know."

"Where's the lech?"

"He had to go in to the hospital."

"So that's why you sound so bored," Kagome teased.

"Nah, tired is more like it."

"What does he do again?" Kagome asked, trying to create small talk in order to keep her friend on the phone, yet away from the drama that happened after her real date went to hell in a flaming hand basket.

"He's a resident gynecologist at Memorial. Why, you need one?" Sango joked.

Laughing softly, Kagome replied, "I will not have your fiancé knowing what color my carpet is, thank you very much!"

Sango laughed softly, and then her voice turned serious, "I'm sorry, Kagome."

Taking the phone from her ear, Kagome scowled at it as if Sango would be able to see her, and then queried, "For what?"

"I thought by making this bet with you, I'd be able to introduce you to some nice guys, but it seems like all I'm doing is helping you prove your point. I guess I really did get the last good one, eh? I just can't believe that both of your dates turned out the same way in the end."

Hearing the depressing way her friend sounded, Kagome stated half-heartedly, "This last date really wasn't that bad."

Sango laughed dryly. "Maybe not, but it wasn't good either. If you want to back out of the rest of our wager, I'll understand and I won't hold it against you."

"I never thought you'd be such a quitter," Kagome teased. "Please, if you think you're going to go back to coming in late, you better keep thinking, my friend. We made a bet, and I damn sure plan on holding you to it. Besides, you only have one more date to set me up on." Finding it hard to believe that she was saying these things, she finished, "You know what they say, 'third time's the charm.'"

"Yeah, well they also say, 'three strikes and you're out,'" Sango retorted. Sighing heavily, she added, "I'm not a quitter, but I don't want to ruin our friendship because I keep setting you up with a bunch of losers."

Kagome outright laughed as she made her way to her couch to sit down. "Girl please, it doesn't have anything to do with 'who' you set me up with! I'm just a beacon for assholes."

"No you're not, I just…"

"Please, even after Akitoki walked out on me, I was accosted by the king of assholes and that had absolutely nothing to do with you, did it?" She hadn't meant to say that, but for some reason she just couldn't stand the thought of a woman that was rapidly becoming one of her best friends being upset about something like this. 

"Really? Was he cute?"

Kagome groaned, "Does it even matter?"

"Well it might. Sometimes, if a man is cute enough, you can overlook some things. How do you think I've overlooked Miroku's lechery all these years?" Sango replied, and then finished, "So was he?"

Kagome didn't respond. She didn't want to have this conversation with Sango and especially not about 'him', the devil in disguise. 'Yes… Hell yes, he was cute, but he was the epitome of an ass!' she thought and wanted to scream, but she knew if she did then Sango would read more into it and demand answers to things she had no desire in discussing.

So what, if even after their dreadful meeting, she still couldn't stop thinking about him! So what, if she found herself craving him even more than she did the day before! So what, if she couldn't blink without seeing his face! So what, if she was continuously mentally kicking herself for letting her anger get the best of her!

"Hello, earth to Kagome!"

Shaking her head, the confused young woman blurted, "Gods, you're nosey!"

"Don't try to change the subject," Sango snapped, and then exclaimed, "You liked him, didn't you? That's why you're being so goddamn evasive!" Acting as if she was a teenager hyped up on caffeine, she rattled off, "Was he a cutie? Why was he such an ass? Did you get his number? What's his name?"

Hearing her phone beep twice in her ear, Kagome stated quickly, "Hold on a minute, I have another call coming in."

Without even checking the caller id, she clicked the flash button and stated, "Hello."

A soft voice replied, "Good morning, may I please speak with Higurashi Kagome?"

Kagome frowned in thought, unable to place the voice, but knowing it was familiar. "This is she," she replied apprehensively.

"Good, Kagome, this is Takahashi Rin. How are you?"

'Rin? Why is she calling me? Gods, I hope I didn't screw up one of her cases,' she thought as she sat up straighter. "Rin, hi, how are you?"

"I'm fine, just bored and swollen," Rin half joked. "You're not busy are you?"

Glancing around her living room, the still baffled young woman countered, "No, not at all, I was just relaxing and talking to a friend."

"I…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt, but I have a situation that I was hoping you could help me with."

Kagome could hear the urgency in the young woman's voice, which caused her to stand up and take notice. "What is it?"

"Well it deals with work."

"I didn't mess up one of your files, did I?" the nearly frantic woman queried anxiously.

"No, of course not, that's actually why I chose to call you."

Kagome's line beeped, glancing down at it she stated, "Hold on just a minute, Rin."

"Sure."

Clicking the flash button, she stated, "I'm so sorry about that."

"No you're not! You did that on purpose because you don't want to tell me about this guy, but I'm not going to let you off that easy!"

"Seriously, it's Rin; she needs to talk to me about something dealing with work. It sounds kind of urgent."

"Oh, well go ahead and talk to her, just call me back when you get off the phone, and if you don't, I'll be at your door. Believe it."

"Sure, whatever," Kagome replied quickly then clicked the flash button to hang up on Sango and pick Rin's call back up. "Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it. After all, I am the one interloping on your private time."

Kagome giggled uncomfortably. "Don't sweat it. What do you need?"

"Well… I hate to ask you this, but I really need you to sit in on an emergency conference call at my husband's company. Normally, I handle all of his and his partners' accounts, but in my current condition, I can barely get around."

"Today?" Kagome queried, trying to keep the shock out of her voice.

"Unfortunately, yes. It's supposed to be a merger between two pharmaceutical companies, one located in Seattle, Washington, and the other in India. The clients in India are having a problem with the contract that I've drawn up."

"I see," Kagome murmured. "You know mergers aren't my primary focus, right?"

"Yes, of course, but contracts are. I just need you to go in there and explain the questionable areas to them." Rin sighed as she continued, "Sesshomaru has been trying to explain it to them, but they won't listen to him. Their attorneys are asking questions that neither he nor his partner know the answer to. They also want to make changes that only an attorney can accept, and since you're the only one that I'd trust with my files…I thought about you. Besides, that contract is so straightforward that once someone like you has skimmed it, you'll know all the ins and outs of the deal."

Kagome had to admit that she was actually flattered by Rin's words of confidence. 'Well it's not like I had anything else to do today', she thought as she made her way towards her bedroom. 'Besides, this will be the distraction I need.'

"And your husband doesn't have a problem with me doing this?" Kagome asked skeptically, thinking about her last meeting with him.

"I actually haven't told him that you'll be the attorney coming, but I will and I'm sure that he'll be fine with it. Besides, if you don't go, he'll lose a huge deal."

"If you're sure," Kagome replied doubtfully. "Where can I get a copy of the contract?"

"Well, since I was going on faith that you would do this for me, I went ahead and had a copy couriered over to you. It's my personal copy with the questionable areas already highlighted."

"Okay Rin, call your husband and let him know I'll be there in an hour or so. Oh, what's the address?"

The courier will give you that as well. Oh, and Kagome?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you so much for doing this for me. I promise you, once I drop these two loads I'm carrying, I'm going to dance at your wedding."

Grinning since she could hear the relief in the pregnant woman's voice, she retorted, "I'll dance with you, if that ever happens. Now go get some rest, I'll call you once I've reviewed the contract."

Clicking the phone off, Kagome tossed it onto the couch as she pulled her tank top up over her head. 'Well, at least I won't have to think about that jerk for a few hours.'

In her mind, Rin couldn't have called at a better time. She was able to avoid Sango's line of questioning, and avert her thoughts. 'Life doesn't get any better than this, does it?' she thought as she turned the shower to hot and stepped in.

_Simonkal of Inuy_

An hour and ten minutes later, Kagome found herself pulling into the parking garage of 301 Western Complex, which was the 2nd largest office building in Tokyo.

After the courier dropped off the contract, she allotted herself thirty minutes to review the seventy-five-page document, which she had to admit was rather simple and straight to the point as Rin had stated earlier.

'Those American attorney's must be a bunch of idiots,' she thought, forgetting that it wasn't the American client's with the problem; it was the clients in India.

Stepping onto the elevator, she hit the button for the 40th floor and pulled out the contract once more to do a brief review.

'I can't go in there half stepping. After the way I gawked at Takahashi Sesshomaru the last time I saw him, I have to show him that I'm just as refined and professional as his wife, if not more.'

The elevator slowed to a crawl then stopped but it wasn't on her floor, it was the 15th floor. An older balding gentleman carrying what looked like a stack of files stepped in and hit the button for the 30th floor.

"Hello," he stated politely.

Glancing at him quickly, Kagome replied with a quick, "Hi," then turned her attention back to the task of reviewing the contract.

"I'm Setsuna Myoga, how are you?" he offered cordially.

She knew she should have replied to him, but instead she just smiled briefly over at him then went back to the document at hand.

"So, I see I'm not the only one working on this gloomy Saturday," Myoga stated trying to create small talk. Glancing up at the numbers lit at the top of the elevator, he continued with a smile, "Ah, I see you're going up to the Takahashi floor."

"Just filling in for someone else," Kagome answered quickly as she slipped the contract back into her leather satchel. 'Why do people always assume that they have to talk to you just because they're in the elevator with you?' she questioned.

"Have you worked much with the brothers?" he inquired evenly.

Smoothing out the pleats on her tan slacks, Kagome glanced up and replied, not really paying attention to the man, "No, not at all. I'm just filling in for a friend." Glancing up at the numbers again, she thought, 'Why the hell is this elevator so slow?'

Noticing the woman's agitation, the old man stated, "This elevator always runs slower than the other's especially on the weekend. You should've used the ones in the front lobby."

Kagome tried to smile politely, but she knew she was falling short. 'How the hell was I supposed to know that? Didn't I just tell him I'm filling in for someone?'

"Of course, you didn't know that did you?"

Clearing her throat, Kagome stated, "Thanks for the advice, I'll try to remember that if there's ever a next time."

The elevator dinged and Kagome sighed in relief as she watched the man exit the elevator, which meant she only had ten floors to go, thankfully.

"Oh," the man said, sticking his hand in the door which caused the elevator doors to open again, "Please tell Takahashi Inuyasha thanks for the baseball league season passes. My adopted grandson, Shippo, loves going to the games."

Kagome's eyes grew to the size of large saucers as she stepped back away from the man. "Inu…Inuyasha?"

"Are you alright, Young Lady?" he asked concernedly.

Kagome swallowed hard, fighting down the bile that threatened to rise into her throat. She hadn't just heard his name. She wasn't…she wasn't on the way to a meeting the he was a part of. No, this…this wasn't fucking possible!

Swallowing hard, she stepped towards Myoga, her hand now keeping the elevator from closing. "Inu…yasha?"

"Yes, Inuyasha. He and his older brother, Takahashi Sesshomaru, own Takahashi Mergers and Investments, not to mention this entire building." The man smiled. "Their father, Inutaisho, actually left it to them, but the brother's built their company on their own from the ground up. I tell you, with everything that those two boys have been through, they have earned the respect of all that have come in contact with them." Noticing the shock on her face, he stated with a soft smile, "Don't tell me, you don't know whom you're going to see."

Kagome cleared her throat loudly. This couldn't be happening! He couldn't be talking about the same half demon… 'No, this means… Oh dear god! He's…Rin's… They're… Holy hell, no, this can't be fucking happening,' she thought frantically as she felt her stomach drop into the balls of her feet."

"Ma'am, do you want to sit down? You look a little under the weather," Myoga observed as he reached out and pulled the stop button on the elevator in order to make sure it wouldn't move, should she pass out.

"I…I'm fine," she lied.

"Well, I'm sure if you start to feel sick again Inuyasha will be sure to take care of you. He's just that kind of person, though if he heard me say that he'd probably curse me to the bowels of the seven hells," Myoga avowed with a chuckle, oblivious to the way the woman inwardly flinched.

'He can't be talking about the same foul mouthed, obnoxious man I met last night.'

"Well, it was nice meeting you," he stated as he pushed the stop button in again and stepped back away from the doors.

Gathering what was left of her mental faculties, Kagome inquired quickly, "I haven't met them, could you tell me how they look?" She knew that was a stupid question, but somewhere deep down she wanted him to tell her that the Inuyasha she knew and the one waiting upstairs were not one and the same.

Myoga grinned as he shifted the files he was carrying. "Well, if you've seen one, you've definitely seen both, I can tell you that."

Kagome groaned, hating where this was going.

"They both have long, white hair…or is it silver? They have the most uncanny yellow-gold eyes and unnaturally tanned skin." Fanning his hand, he continued, "They look like their father." Smiling up at nothing and everything, he finished, "I always told Inutaisho that even if he wanted to deny their parentage, he couldn't have. I'd swear in the courts in heaven that he spit those two boys out himself without the help of either of his wives."

Feeling her heart begin to plummet, Kagome stated quickly, "Thank you so much, sorry to take up so much of your time," as she quickly hit the button for the elevator to close and the button for the ground floor.

'This can't be happening! This can't be happening! This can't be happening!' she chanted as she stepped back so that she was pressed up against the wall of the elevator. 'I can't go up there! I can't…I refuse to be in the same room with him! After last night… Holy Buddha!' she thought anxiously as she felt the first signs of a panic attack coming on.

Her heart was racing, her breathing heavy and frantic, her entire were body felt like it was on fire, and her mind was running a mile a minute.

'Not now, not now. I don't need this shit!'

Fidgeting with her collar, she closed her eyes and tried to slow her heartbeat by taking in slow, even breaths.

'They're brothers! My God they're brothers! He's… Inuyasha is Rin's brother-in-law! How the hell could I 'not' have noticed this? They have the same last name for heaven's sake!'

Allowing her hand to roam down to the top button of her peach button down shirt, Kagome began to slowly unbutton the top two buttons in hopes of allowing herself a little more breathing room.

'This can't be happening', she thought as the elevator dinged twice and the doors opened.

She could've sworn that her heart had stopped. Looking up frantically, she noticed that even though she'd punched the button for the garage, the elevator had taken her up to the 40th floor since that's what she'd requested first.

'I can punch the button and get out of here before they notice I'm here,' she thought hastily.

"Higurashi Kagome," a manly voice stated.

Knowing that she looked like a complete and total moron, Kagome closed her eyes tight in hopes that she'd wake up and this would have all been some kind of dream. And, if it weren't, maybe the Gods would lend her the power of invisibility.

_'Dear Gods, please make me disappear.'_

"My wife advised me that you'd be lending us a hand with this conference call. Please, follow me so that I may fill you in on what we've discussed thus far," Sesshomaru stated while staring inquisitively at the frozen young woman, who was now squinting at him out the corner of her eye. _'Unforgettable indeed,'_ he thought with a nonexistent snort.

Kagome tried to move, but she couldn't. 'Must I always embarrass myself in front of him?' she questioned herself as she sighed heavily.

Knowing that she had no way out of this situation, she stepped slowly off the elevator and followed him reluctantly down the hall, all the while screaming silently, 'Buddha, why have you forsaken me? Why have you forsaken me? Just kill me now! Strike me down where I stand, please if you love me, strike me down now!'

Stopping, Sesshomaru turned on her. Staring down at her as she slowly walked towards him, he noticed for the first time that she was petrified, for lack of a better word. "Higurashi, I'm well aware that this is a last minute meeting and that you're doing myself and my brother a favor by being here, but I must request that you cover yourself. I will not be held responsible for the things that Inuyasha might say and/or do, should you walk into the office looking like that."

Sesshomaru hadn't a clue as to what had occurred between the two, but he knew men and he definitely knew his brother.

Kagome scowled at him, then slowly looked down at her clothing. Staring down at her black-laced bra and her abundant cleavage that appeared to be on display for all to see, she squealed, "Holy shit," as she quickly pulled her shirt closed. "I'm sorry! I must have… I'm sorry, where's the restroom?"

Sesshomaru pointed in the opposite direction. "It's down the hall. Please hurry, we're expecting a call from them at any moment." Watching her run off, he whispered, "There's never a dull moment with that one, I see."

'I must have undone one too many buttons,' she thought as she hightailed it towards the bathroom. Pushing the door open, she forced it quickly closed and relaxed back against it. Resting her head back against the door, she began to slowly refasten the buttons as she mumbled, pleaded, "Please, if you're up there, any of you, strike me down now."

Until Next Time…(As always, you .02 cents is greatly appreciated.)

Next Chapter: **Un-Deniable You**


	15. Un Deniable You

**A/N:** All character will be walking that fine line called OOCness. Beware, harsh language!! Once again thanks for your wonderful reviews, the ones I received anyway and enjoy!!

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**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, and Dr. Aikio.

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**Chapter 15:**

_**Un-Deniable You**_

Her head swam dizzily as she struggled to regain her composure.

'_What am I doing? Why… Gods…'_ Kagome thought as she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply through her nose then a few seconds later, exhaled slowly through her mouth.

Ever since she was a little girl, she'd suffered from mild anxiety attacks, but it wasn't until her break-up with Kouga that she started experiencing more extreme ones.

She'd seen a therapist about it, since she really hated the idea of being on medicine to treat it. He, in return, taught her more effective methods of dealing with the attacks.

In the beginning she was scared that she was having a mental breakdown or worse. Thankfully, her therapist told her that it was just her body's way of releasing built up endorphins. He also told that her mind couldn't comprehend not having a good excuse to associate with the way she was feeling, so it caused her to think of weird and unrealistic things.

'_Well I know this reason, and I'm still freaking out,'_ she thought as she stepped over to the marble countertop. Resting her hands on the sink, she sank forward so that her shoulders were up as she allowed her head to loll downward.

'_Kagome, you're stronger than this,'_ she began, attempting to pep herself up.

She inhaled again, this time holding her breath a moment longer than she had the last time.

'_You graduated head of your law class.'_

She swallowed, steeling her resolve as she slowly opened her eyes and stared down at the pristine countertop.

'_You made partner of one of biggest law firms in Japan, at the age of 25.'_

She looked up at her reflection. Taking in her flushed cheeks, her mussed hair and slightly disheveled attire, she swallowed hard. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out her tube of lipstick as she thought, _'You will not allow some egotistical asshole, to make you out to be nothing more than a bumbling fool. You're better…much better than this!'_

Pulling out the pins that held her hair up in a loose bun, she ran her tongue across her teeth then meshed her lips together; making sure the lipstick she'd just applied was even.

'_If you survived Kouga's betrayal, you, Higurashi Kagome, can survive anything, even a meeting with Takahashi Inuyasha._

After running her well-manicured fingers through her hair, she straightened her peach blouse, rechecked the buttons, and brushed off her slacks.

'_He had the upper hand last night, but today… This moment… It's my time to shine,'_ she thought indomitably, sparing one last moment to stare at her reflection before turning, her face set in a soft, welcoming, but no nonsense smile.

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

"Oi, what's this asshole doing?" Inuyasha asked, standing up from the table and strolling over to his brother's office window.

"Have you not learned that patience is a virtue, Inuyasha?" Sesshomaru queried rhetorically, since he knew without a doubt that his bother was absent when the Gods above were handing it out.

"Feh, those dicks are going to be calling back any moment. You'd think that the idiot would want to at least be briefed first."

Sesshomaru glanced up at his brother, a smirk on his face. "Inuyasha, she needed to make a stop in the restroom. Surely, you understand that."

Turning on his brother, his temper still flaring from his dream the night before, he replied, "Surely, you know I don't give a damn! If 'she' causes us to loose this fucking deal, because 'she' is primping in some fucking mirror…"

Standing to his feet, Sesshomaru cut his brother off as he made his way over to his built-in wet bar and poured himself a glass of water, "I suggest you watch your mouth when she comes in here. I will not have you 'pissing on' or off someone that could very well be taking Rin's place by handling our mergers."

"Hold the fuck up! Who said anything about taking Rin's place? This 'attorney' is only supposed to be Rin's stand-in! Besides, I really don't see how you could just make a decision like that without consulting me first!"

Glancing at his overzealous brother, a bored expression on his face, Sesshomaru stated, "Where my mate is concerned, a consultation with you, is not required."

Growling at Sesshomaru, Inuyasha almost shouted, "You know good God damn well what I'm talking about! You can't just take it upon yourself to choose someone…"

Sitting down behind his desk, Sesshomaru picked up the contract he'd previously been skimming. After taking a sip of his water, he interjected, cutting Inuyasha's rant off, "I have chosen no one to take Rin's place. I simply stated that 'she could be' the one. You are the one that chose to read more into my statement, Inuyasha. Now, I would suggest that you calm yourself. The last thing we need is for anyone to see how truly crass and irascible you really are."

Inuyasha wasn't upset in the least at his brother. He just happened to be the only one there at the time for him to take his anger out on. He still hadn't a clue as to whom Rin was able to find to take her place today and, quite honestly, he didn't care. He just wanted her or him, or whoever the hell it was, to hurry the hell up! He was ready to get this shit over with!

"Higurashi," Sesshomaru said, standing to his feet.

'_Hig…urash…i'_, Inuyasha thought as he turned slowly towards the door.

"Takahashi Sesshomaru, please accept my deepest apologies for earlier," she stated with a bow, then finished, "I believe I might have digested something last night that didn't quite agree with my stomach." Standing up straight, Kagome glanced in Inuyasha's direction, internally gloated at the stunned expression he wore, and quickly turned her attention back to Sesshomaru.

"It's quite alright," Sesshomaru replied. Waving his hand in Inuyasha's direction, he continued, "This is my brother and partner, Takahashi Inuyasha. He will be joining us for this conference call."

Kagome bowed slightly in Inuyasha's direction as she said softly, "It's a pleasure," while forcing herself to hold back all animosity that she had towards him.

'_What the fuck,'_ the bewildered hanyou thought as he allowed his eyes to slowly take her in. _'She can't… This can't be fucking happening!'_

"Inuyasha, at least pretend to have some manners," Sesshomaru requested nonchalantly.

Glancing from Kagome to his brother, Inuyasha found it considerably hard to believe that she was here with him. He could smell her enticing scent and stare into her mesmerizing eyes and still he couldn't fathom that she was a mere two, maybe three feet from him.

Sparing another moment to glance over at the stunned hanyou, Kagome quickly turned her attention back to Sesshomaru. "Don't worry about it. Perhaps I remind him of someone."

'_That bitch…'_ Inuyasha thought heatedly, '_…she's pretending she doesn't know me!'_ Watching her take a seat in front of his brother, his thought finished, _'What is she up to? Did she know I was going to here? Why didn't Sesshomaru tell me the fucking attorney__was her?'_ The hanyou felt like his mother had just caught him with his pants down around his ankles and his dick in his hands.

Noticing that, no matter what he said, his brother just wasn't going to greet the young woman, Sesshomaru growled low and asked, "Higurashi, would you care for something to drink?"

"Yes, thank you," she replied, doing her damnedest to maintain her cool, calm and collected façade because inside she could feel her ribs quivering.

"Inuyasha, could you get her a glass of water?" Sesshomaru ground out, wanting nothing more than to light into his brother for his ill-mannered antics.

The hanyou stared at his older brother, trying fruitlessly to stab him repeatedly with his eyes. _'That bastard could've told me, damn it! He could've said something!'_

Sesshomaru hissed through clenched teeth, "Now, would be nice, Inuyasha." Narrowing his eyes at his brother, he thought, _'What's wrong with him, he's acting like a deer caught in someone's headlights?'_

Turning slightly in her chair so that she could get a better look at the hanyou she'd apparently shocked, Kagome said, while making sure to keep her voice arrogance free, "Takahashi-san, are you okay? You look as if you've seen a ghost." Smiling at him, she thought, _'And I was worried. How foolish of me.'_

Stepping back and towards the bar, Inuyasha replied through clenched teeth, "I'm…I'm fine."

"That's very good to know." Noticing that he was making his way behind the bar, Kagome added, "Please, no ice thank you." Knowing that Sesshomaru couldn't see her face, she allowed her mask to falter for one brief almost non-existent second as she sneered at him. _'Egotistical prick!'_

'_Conniving bitch,'_ Inuyasha thought, having seen her quick switch. He wasn't sure if she'd done it on purpose or not, but he knew he saw it. _'So, this is the game she wants to play, is it? Fine, then let's fucking play,' _he thought angrily.

Feeling much more self-assured than she had moments before, Kagome turned back to Sesshomaru and stated, "I've reviewed the contract and I can see why your American clients would have a problem."

Walking up with two tall glasses of water, Inuyasha handed Kagome a glass, which she took with a smile. After taking a sip from his glass, he spoke, his voice containing not one ounce of nervousness or annoyance, "You see, Higurashi-sama, Abdullah Alushonoroky's family has owned and operated their company from conception. When they merge with Physer-Med, they want to make sure that their tenured employees will have secured positions within the new company, since they will be selling…handing over a little more than 90 percent of the company.

Sesshomaru smirked approvingly, and then added, "They would like to add a clause into the contract that states that none of the tenured employees can be terminated within the first 7 years of the merger for anything other than sexual harassment or excessive unexplained absences."

"I see," Kagome replied, looking from Inuyasha to Sesshomaru. "It sounds to me like they're just trying to insure their employees' futures."

Leaning back on the corner of his brother's desk, Inuyasha sat his drink down on a coaster and crossed his arms over his chest, his face wearing that same gloating smirk she'd seen on one too many occasions. "We thought the same thing."

"However," Sesshomaru started, finishing his younger brother's statement, "Physer-Meds refuses to accept this change. They feel as if Alushonoroky and his team are simply trying to have their cake and eat it too, for lack of a better statement."

One eyebrow raised higher than the other, Inuyasha stated, "Before you assume that both sides are being petty, it's best that you understand something. Alushonoroky's company, Muyarushea Pharmaceuticals, has been open for 35 years and the majority, meaning more than 75 percent, of the employees has been employed there since the doors opened. On the other hand, Kagome…" He stopped, smiled sweetly at her and asked, "May I call you Kagome?" while thinking, _'Yeah bitch, I can play your game just a little bit better than you can.'_

She nodded politely enough, but in her mind she was screaming, _'No, you son of a bitch, you can't call me that!'_

Smirking down his nose at her, Inuyasha resumed, "As I was saying, Kagome, it appears that Muyarushea Pharmaceuticals wants to take care of their employees, but is it right to expect Physer-Med to abide by their rules? If we forced them to accept this amendment, wouldn't it be the same as allowing Physer-Med to continue running the company without the red tape?"

Settling back in her chair, Kagome sighed lightly and directed her attention to Sesshomaru. "So, we have to come up with a feasible way for everyone to 'feel' as if they're getting what they want, without losing any money."

Sesshomaru sat back in his chair as the conference line began to buzz repeatedly. Steepling his fingers, he replied, "Exactly. Is this something that you believe you can do, Higurashi?"

Glancing at Inuyasha, then quickly back at Sesshomaru, she replied with a confident smirk, "Let's get this show on the road."

Inuyasha just stared at her as he reached over and hit the button to turn the intercom on. Even though they had their differences and he hated this little game she was playing with him, he didn't want to see her fall flat on her face for some reason. Of course, it could've just been the amount of money he and Sesshomaru would be losing should this deal fall apart any further than it already had.

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

"Perfect, I'm so glad that we could come to an agreement", Kagome commented proudly.

Inuyasha was stunned that after 3 hours of going back and forth, she was actually able to get them to agree on something and no one ended up feeling like they had been shafted. _'Well, I'll be damned, the bitch actually did it,'_ he thought.

Sesshomaru just sat there, his face impassive, but his eyes were turned up slightly at the corners with respect for the young woman, whom, he had to admit, he doubted could actually accomplish what she'd had. _'She's full of surprises,'_ he thought as he allowed his eyes to roam to his brother who had been staring, actually gawking at the woman all day.

"To make sure that we are on the same page, I will be amending the contract to read something to the effect of 'all employees being employed with Muyarushea Pharmaceuticals from conception, if terminated due to layoffs, shall receive a compensation severance package to be agreed on at a later date by senior parties of both companies, but before the final signing' Is this correct?" she queried.

Both parties answered in unison, "Yes".

"The amendment will further state that Physer-Med shall not, within the first 2 years, issue any mandatory termination notices, with the exception of senior personnel, who are not guaranteed employment."

Both company's representatives replied again and in unison, "Yes."

"Great! It was a pleasure speaking with both of you, and I wish you both nothing but luck with your merger. I'll draw up the amendments and have them FedExed to the both of you within the week. Is that okay?" Kagome asked.

"Ms. Higurashi," the American gentlemen interrupted.

"Yes?"

"Will you be accompanying the Takahashi brothers to the closing?"

Kagome looked back at Sesshomaru and Inuyasha who were looking back at her with identical blank expressions on their faces. She pleaded with both of them with her eyes to help her out of this one or to at least say something to change the subject, but neither said a damn thing. _'Bastards,_' she hissed mentally.

"Mr. Weinstein, I do not know as of yet," she lied, knowing she wouldn't be going a goddamn place. "However, I will make sure that everything is up to par, trust me," she finished, while pushing away from the table and standing to her feet in one fluid motion.

"That's just it, Ms. Higurashi," the gentlemen replied, who sounded overweight and out of breath-not to mention exhausted, "…if it weren't for you, I doubt that this deal would have closed. If you can make it to the closing, I would love to take you out to dinner personally and thank you for your words of wisdom."

Inuyasha looked down at his brother, a deep frown on his face. "This ass is acting like you and I haven't been working on this fucking deal for the past year and a half," he hissed quietly so that only his brother could hear him.

"Let it go, Inuyasha. It 'is' because of her quick thinking that this deal was saved," Sesshomaru replied as he checked his watch.

Turning his attention back to Kagome, who was blushing profusely at this point because of whatever the American gentleman was saying, Inuyasha had to admit that watching her in action was completely different from watching Rin.

The way she negotiated, the way she debated, and the way she demanded both parties respect actually solidified in his mind that this woman, that he'd met by accident and kept running into randomly, definitely had more to offer than was apparent at first glance.

'_If only Rin knew how right she was when she said, Kagome was unforgettable,'_ he thought absently as he walked up behind her. Resting his hand on the small of her back in an attempt to let her know he'd take over from here, Inuyasha stated, "Mr. Weinstein and Mr. Alushonoroky, it has been a pleasure speaking with both of you today. On behalf of my brother, Higurashi-sama, and myself, I want to thank you for your time. We'll be in contact on Monday." With that, he hit the disconnect button and sighed heavily, relieved that this was over.

Kagome stood there, frozen. How could he have such an effect on her? How was a simple touch from him able to wipe her mind clean and make her insides quiver? Standing there, watching him speak all through the negotiations, she had to admit that he surprised her. After last night, she would have never thought that he'd have it in him to be so civil, so…so professional and well versed.

Inuyasha turned slowly, his mind weary with jumbled, incoherent thoughts of their extraordinarily long negotiating session and of the woman who now stood before him, staring back at him with a look that he couldn't quite discern. Somewhere throughout the course of the day, he'd forgotten the things she'd done to him in his dream. He'd forgotten-or, rather, decided-that his anger towards her was unjustified.

Sesshomaru watched the two of them inquisitively as they stood there staring at one another, both looking like they wanted to say something, but neither having the courage to broach whatever it was. He realized quickly that there was something going on between the two of them, something that caused the air around them to spark with tumultuous electricity. He just didn't know what it could be. _'Do they know each other? Have they met before?' _he wondered. He quickly decided he didn't care one way or the other because his brother, the ass that he was, was destined to screw whatever it was up.

Clearing his throat, the elder of the dog demons stated, "It has been a long day for all us; why don't we call it a day?"

Kagome blinked, shook her thoughts off and turned to face Sesshomaru. "Cer…Certainly."

"Once again, Higurashi, thank you," he avowed with a slight nod of his head.

Walking over to the conference table, she began to repack her briefcase, making sure to keep everything dealing with the merger in its own little folder. "Don't mention it. I'm just glad that I was able to help out Rin in her time of need."

"If it's all the same, I want you to know that you will be compensated for your time," Sesshomaru assured as he pushed his chair in and walked around his desk.

"Honestly, that's not necessary. I was just doing a favor for a friend."

Sesshomaru looked at her, one eyebrow quirked higher than the other, but he didn't respond. He would have Jakken send her a check first thing Monday morning; it would be up to her whether she cashed it or not. Turning away from her and directing his attention towards his brother, who had been unusually quiet, he asked, "Are you ready?"

His arms crossed over his chest, his head down, Inuyasha responded without really having heard the question, "Yeah, sure."

Walking towards the door, Sesshomaru stopped and waited for Kagome to pass him, followed by his brother who, at the moment, looked more confused than he'd ever seen him in his life. Shutting the door behind him, he spared a moment to lock it.

Stepping on to the elevator, Kagome took the far right corner, Inuyasha the far left, and Sesshomaru stood in the middle.

"Higurashi, did you park in the garage?" the older demon asked as he pushed the button labeled G5.

Glancing up at Sesshomaru, she replied softly, "Yes. I think I'm on the first floor."

"Inuyasha, didn't you park on the first floor of the garage as well?" Sesshomaru queried.

The hanyou glanced at him, his eyes narrowed. _'What the hell is he talking about? He knows I only park on the executive floor.'_

Before he could answer, Sesshomaru continued, "Good, you can accompany Higurashi to her car."

Inuyasha stared at him. _'What in seven hells…'_

"No, that's not necessary," Kagome interjected quickly, not wanting to be anywhere with the silver-haired devil alone.

As the elevator dinged twice for the 5th floor of the garage, Sesshomaru queried, ignoring the young woman's statement all together, "Inuyasha, should Rin expect to see you tomorrow?"

Still unable to comprehend what his brother was trying to do, Inuyasha replied, "Yeah, sure."

"Good." Stepping out of the elevator as the doors opened, Sesshomaru turned and commented with a slight nod of his head, "Higurashi, once again it has been a pleasure." Looking at Inuyasha, he finished, "Half breed," as he turned and walked away.

"Asshole," Inuyasha responded with disdain.

"Same to you," Kagome replied anxiously, to the full-blooded demon as the elevator doors closed once more, locking her and Inuyasha in. Nervous didn't begin to describe how she was feeling at the moment. Staring up at the numbers at the top of the elevator, she began to tap her foot uneasily while trying to pretend that she didn't know that he, Inuyasha, the devil in disguise, was boring holes into the side of her head.

The hanyou still hadn't figured out why his brother would make him, per se, accompany her to her car and do it in such a slick way, so he figured he'd just beat the truth out of him tomorrow before dinner. Leaning back against the elevator, he stared at the woman that had thrown her drink in his face, cursed him, and today won his respect, professionally that is.

"So how long do you plan on keeping up this farce?" he asked, his tone low, mysterious.

She didn't look at him, but he did notice she tightened her hold on her briefcase and held her head a little higher.

Shaking his head, Inuyasha chuckled huskily as he stepped towards her and stopped, his hands now shoved in his pockets. "Wow, Kagome, you're really good at playing these little childish games, aren't you?"

She turned her head and glared at him, but still didn't say anything.

"You curse me when 'you're' clearly at fault, you curse me and throw your drink in my face because 'you' can't handle the truth, you come into my place of business and act like 'you' don't know me, and now your 'pretending' that 'you' can't hear me." Kissing his teeth, he finished exasperatedly, "Women."

Kagome glared dangerously at him out the corner of her eye. _'Here we go again,'_ she thought.

The elevator dinged twice and the doors opened. Not even giving them time to fully open, Kagome strode off the elevator at a quick pace. She could hear his footsteps following which only caused her to walk faster.

'_Is he really walking me to my car? No, of course not, he's just trying to terrorize me!'_ she thought harshly. Looking around the garage while doing her damnedest to ignore her 'escort', she thought, _'Where in the seven hells of Sam Hail did I park my car?'_

"Lose something?" Inuyasha asked sarcastically as he watched her hips sway rhythmically from right to left and back again.

Kagome snapped, forgetting that she was supposed to be pretending he didn't really exist outside of the meeting, "Why are you still here?"

"My big brother told me to accompany you to your car and so I shall," he replied, knowing he was totally overdoing it, since Sesshomaru was the last person that could tell him to do something that he'd actually do.

Glancing to her right and her left, Kagome stated, "Bull…shit. You didn't harass me enough last night so you've come to finish the job."

"Is that what you call it? Harassment?"

"When someone sits down next to you and within the first 3 seconds verbally attacks you. Yes, I do call that, harassment, Takahashi Inuyasha."

"Please, call me Inuyasha," he stated in a gallant manner, as if he was doing her a favor.

"I'd prefer not to," she retorted, turning on him. "After the things you said last night, I'd also prefer if you acted as if you didn't know me because I'm having no problem at all pretending I don't know you!"

Inuyasha thought that over for a moment. He wasn't sure why, but he just couldn't agree to that. Scratching his chin, he replied as if it were a no-brainer, "Umm, that's just not going to happen, Kagome."

Why was she relieved to hear him say that? Turning away quickly, before he saw the blush staining her cheeks, she mumbled, "I swear you were sent here to torture me, weren't you?"

"Possibly," Inuyasha replied dryly as he eyed her car, which was in the opposite direction of where she was leading him. "Kagome?"

"Didn't I say not to call me that?"

"Quite the contrary, you said you were fine with that. You can ask Sesshomaru the next time you see him if you don't believe me."

"Insufferable," Kagome hissed through clenched teeth, more upset at the fact that she couldn't find her goddamn car than anything else.

Knowing that if he allowed her to stroll around the garage any longer, she'd probably lose her mind, Inuyasha offered, "Your car is over there."

Turning on him, she asked anxiously, "Where?"

Tipping his head to the right, he stated, "Over there."

Looking around him, she grinned earnestly as she strolled quickly over to her car.

Inuyasha remained where he was and watched her make her way to her car. She was different, he realized for the umpteenth time. He wanted to hate her, he wanted to be disrespectful to her, he wanted to just leave her alone, and he wanted, more than anything else, to just forget about her, but no matter what he did, he just couldn't.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he watched as she quickly climbed into her car and backed out. Stepping in the middle of the driveway so that she'd have to stop, he waited for her. He didn't know when he'd decided that he'd say this, but he knew she deserved it. The fact that it would more than likely quiet his conscience was just a huge, magnificent bonus.

'_Please Lord, just let me get out of here without him saying anything else.'_ He was confusing the hell out of her. He wasn't being mean or nasty or anything of the sort. He was actually acting like…like he… She couldn't finish that thought, didn't want to finish that thought.

Throwing her car into reverse, she quickly backed up then pulled forward, only to slam on her breaks as she came face-to-face once more with a smirking, cocky, silver-haired hanyou blocking her way. Glaring at him, she yelled, "I swear to God if you don't move, I'll run you over this time!"

He locked eyes with her, his smile softening, and then slowly disappearing. Without looking away from her, he walked slowly around to the driver side door and tapped lightly on her window with the tip of his clawed pointer finger.

'_Don't open it,'_ she told herself as her hand went to the button and clicked the down arrow_. 'Idiot,'_ she hissed while slowly turning to look at him.

His hands in his pockets again, Inuyasha tilted his head slightly to the side and said apprehensively, "Sorry about the other night. I know I shouldn't have said some of the things that I said." Shrugging his shoulders, he finished, "That's all," while stepping back away from the car.

Kagome just stared at him as if he was crazy_. 'He can't do this! He can't stand there looking pathetic and helpless and apologize to me like this! Damn it, he can't… That bastard!'_ she hissed, knowing that she had no right to be angry with him for simply apologizing to her, which she had to admit she did deserve.

She knew he was just trying to do the right thing; unfortunately, she wasn't really in a forgiving mood. "You should be," she replied, her tone clipped and abrasive.

Refusing to give him time to retort, she stomped on the gas and took off towards the exit.

Chuckling to himself, Inuyasha turned away and mumbled, "Crazy bitch, never ceases amaze me." Most women would have accepted his half-hearted apology, but not her, which only showed him once more just how different she really was from what he was accustomed to.

Pressing the button for the elevator, the hanyou stepped on and hit the G5 button. Chuckling softly as thoughts of her smile and her voice filled his head once more, the hanyou mumbled, "I'm done for."

**Until Next Time**… (Your .02 cents is greatly appreciated.)

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**Next Chapter**: A Heart's Requiem 


	16. A Heart's Requiem

**A/N**: As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness. I wasn't going to post this chapter today, but I figured, what the hell. It may take a minute for the next chapter to come out since I'm not really sure if I like what I've written thus far. So read this chapter slow and enjoy. As always, thank my beta, Neko Lady for handling my grotesque grammar and spelling errors…lol.

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**Disclaimer**: I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, and Dr. Aikio.

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**Chapter 16:**

_**A Heart's Requiem**_

Inuyasha brought his blade down in an arcing motion, causing Sesshomaru to weave backwards almost stumbling.

"Half-breed, you seem to be in better spirits today," Sesshomaru observed half-heartedly as he charged straight at Inuyasha only to side step to the right, catching the hanyou off guard with an elbow to the chest.

"Feh, why don't you just shut up and bend over," Inuyasha hissed, jumping back away from his brother.

"Let me guess, so you can shove Tetsusaiga up my ass?"

"Damn straight," the hanyou replied as he leapt up and over his brother, landing squarely on the opposite side of the massive backyard.

The brothers stared at each other for a moment, both of them smirking confidently at the other, before they charged. They looked like nothing more than a blurred mixture of silver, white, and beige, since both were shirtless and wearing nothing but a pair of white hakama pants.

Sesshomaru swung first, barely missing Inuyasha's head.

"I knew you wanted to kill me!" the hanyou hissed as he kicked low, sweeping his brother's leg out from under him, but you wouldn't have known because the full demon rebounded so quickly that he barely had time to gloat.

"Don't be stupid," Sesshomaru hissed sarcastically as he threw a punch that connected with Inuyasha's chest, sending him flying back.

Before the hanyou could recover, the full-blooded demon leapt up and over to his fallen foe. Landing so that his legs straddled both sides of his brother, he pointed Tenseiga down and towards the hanyou's jugular vein. Smirking down at him, he stated mildly, "Too bad this thing doesn't cut."

Inuyasha let out a breath that he wasn't aware he was holding. "Being the bastard you are, you probably would've really killed me."

Stepping back, Sesshomaru spared another moment to stare down at his younger brother. "You know so little," he stated as he lifted his heirloom so that it was resting back against his shoulder blade.

Pulling himself up off the grass, Inuyasha retorted, "Maybe so, but I know you."

After picking up his sword off the ground, he slowly began to dust off the bits of grass that was stuck to the front of his hakama as he finished, "You're a bastard and you always will be."

"Are you two done trying to kill each other?" Rin asked from her chair on the patio.

Sesshomaru turned and smiled at his wife, but didn't respond.

Glancing up at his sister-in-law, Inuyasha smirked. She always sat and watched them 'play' as if she was afraid that one day they would take it too far. Sure, they used real blades and never held back with their punches and/or kicks, but they had never, not once, caused any serious damage to each other. Besides, they were demons; any wounds would be healed in a matter of hours.

Climbing the stairs, Inuyasha had to admit that his brother was right; he was in a much better mood today. It could've easily had something to do with the fact that he didn't have any dreams of anyone last night, or it could've been that his first thought when he woke up was of her, Higurashi Kagome. Which it was, he wasn't quite sure, but the fact that the weekend wasn't turning out half as bad as he thought was really a plus.

Walking over to the table, he picked up a glass of lemonade that he was sure Hoko, the butler, had brought out and guzzled it. Swallowing the last of it, he watched as his brother lightly brushed his claws across Rin's bare shoulders as he passed to take a seat next to her. _'No matter how cold he acts, he could never be cold towards her,'_ the hanyou thought absently as he turned and attempted to take a seat across the table from the lady in question.

"Come here, Inuyasha. I swear you two are as bad as little children."

Knowing what she wanted, he turned and walked towards her. Turning so that his back was to her, he squatted down before her as if he was a child before his mother. Sitting back so that his back was between her legs and his butt on the ground, he argued, "I told you, you don't have to do that. I'll take a shower when I get home."

"And I told you, I'm not going to let you walk around looking like you've been rolling in the grass all day," Rin replied, her tone clipped as if she'd just chastised her child.

"If he'd learn to fight, he wouldn't eat grass so much," Sesshomaru interjected, taking a sip of his lemonade. He knew that that was total hog wash because his brother could fight just as well as he could; he just chose to be careless when they were sparring.

"Feh, if you didn't always fight dirty…"

Cutting both of them off, Rin queried, "Have you two ever agreed on anything?"

"You," they answered in unison, but not meaning to.

Sesshomaru glared at Inuyasha, who in return chuckled. He couldn't see his brother's face, but he could feel the invisible knives stabbing into the side of his head.

"Oi, you should just be happy that you met her first," Inuyasha added, then continued, "Otherwise we'd be…"

"Not on your life, simpleton," Sesshomaru snapped, cutting him off. He knew where he was going with his statement. It seemed like whenever Inuyasha wanted to get back at him for something, he always used the fact that Rin doted on him as ammunition.

Picking a few pieces of grass from Inuyasha's hair, Rin sighed exasperatedly and inquired, "Must you make 'me' an argument as well?"

Ignoring her, Inuyasha finished his earlier comment, loving the idea that he was pissing his brother off, "…we'd be naming our children Taylor and Tyler, wouldn't we, Rin?"

Knowing that he was just trying to piss her husband off, Rin grabbed a patch of Inuyasha's hair and yanked, silently warning him to layoff.

"Ouch! If you keep doing that I'm not going to let you keep playing in my hair," Inuyasha complained seriously, but knowing he was full of shit. Rin was one of two women in his life that he just could not say no to, the other being his deceased mother.

"Rin, leave him," Sesshomaru ordered. "Mongrels such as him deserve to get fleas."

Turning on him, Inuyasha growled, feeling thoroughly insulted, "I don't have fleas, you ass! And if I did, it's your grass I was laying on, so that means you got them too!"

"You confuse me with a common mutt," Sesshomaru quipped dryly.

Picking up the comb that she'd brought out earlier to comb through his hair once she'd finished picking out the grass particles she could see, Rin smacked it against Inuyasha's forehead. "Turn around! You know you don't have fleas," she snapped at the hanyou as she turned and glared at her husband who threw his hands up in mock surrender.

Glaring at Rin, Inuyasha snapped childishly, "He said I have fucking fleas!"

"And I said you don't," Rin retorted, her voice formidable. Smacking him in the forehead with the comb again, she finished while rubbing her protruding belly, "And watch your mouth, my kids can hear you!"

Turning around, Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest and sat down, his face set in a deep scowl.

"Some things never change, do they little brother?" the full demon asked rhetorically, from his spot next to his mate. He could remember countless occasions when they were young, when he'd goad Inuyasha to the point that he was ready to tear the house apart, and then he'd sit back and secretly laugh as his father or Izayoi reprimanded him.

"Go to…"

"Inuyasha!" the aggravated young woman ground out. Without looking over at her gloating husband, she finished, "Sesshomaru, dear, I will advise you to leave him be."

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes, which was very out of character for him, but he obliged her just the same. He didn't know why, but he just felt like annoying the hanyou more than usual today.

The three sat in silence for a time before Rin sighed and asked as she parted Inuyasha's hair and pulled the comb through, clearing out the tangles, "So, am I the only one that's willing to face the ten ton, big, black gorilla standing over there in the corner?"

Inuyasha looked over towards the corner, but saw nothing, "Rin, are you becoming senile in this last trimester of your pregnancy?"

"You really are an…" Sesshomaru growled softly.

"For the love of the heavens above, Sesshomaru," Rin hissed, cutting him off. Normally, she wouldn't feel this agitated by the brothers' back and forth banter, but today she just did not feeling like hearing it. Why couldn't they just have one Sunday when they didn't have to act like they despised each other?

One eyebrow raised higher than the other, Sesshomaru stared at his wife who was looking back at him with fire behind her eyes. "Rin, perhaps you should calm down before you pup before your time."

"Perhaps you should stop goading Inuyasha on purpose," she snapped, her tone harsh.

Inuyasha chuckled softly, but it didn't go unnoticed.

"And you are not helping," she snapped. Pulling back on his hair, she continued, "As I was saying, what are we going to do about the gorilla?"

"Rin there isn't a gorilla…"

"Dimwit, she's talking about the closing," Sesshomaru interjected.

"Oh, well why didn't she just say that?" Inuyasha sighed. They'd been avoiding this topic because neither of them really wanted to attend.

Most of their closings were done in their office or both Rin and Sesshomaru would go; he never had to attend. Unfortunately, this time their clients requested a neutral territory for the closing, which totally pissed him off.

"So has anybody got any ideas?" he asked, feeling Rin move his ear slightly to the right then begin to comb through the fine hair next to it. He would've sworn that she used the excuse of grass in his hair to play with his ears because he never had a problem getting it out himself.

Sesshomaru stood up from the table. "Well, Rin can't go in her condition, and because she can't go, I can't go. So that leaves you, Inuyasha."

"Hell no! You guys ain't putting this shit off on me!" the hanyou hissed, pulling away from Rin and standing to his feet. "We'll just put off the closing until Rin has the pups and that way you and her can go and handle it like you do every other time!"

"That won't work, Inuyasha," Rin interjected, setting the comb down on the table. **"**Alushonoroky won't wait that long. Besides, once I give birth, it will be another three months before I can fly."

"Fuck," Inuyasha hissed, stomping off to the other end of the patio. He hated, actually, loathed meeting with these uppity clients, especially the American ones. Not to mention the last time that he went out of the country on business was when he met Kikyo. Turning on his brother and Rin, he stated, "Well, we'll have to hire someone that can go in our place, because I'm not going!"

"Stop being a child, Inuyasha, this is business! We have no other options!" Sesshomaru growled.

Inuyasha's glare traveled from him to Rin, who looked like at any moment she would pop. _'Fuck'_, he hissed silently, knowing that there really were no other alternatives. There was no possible way that Sesshomaru was going to leave the country knowing that Rin could go into labor at anytime, and there was no way that he would've allowed him to either. Growling, he stated hypothetically, "If I go, I still need a fucking attorney to go with me. How the hell are we going to pull that off?"

Rin glanced at her mate and then back towards Inuyasha, "Well, Kagome did such a good job with the conference call…"

Cutting her off, Inuyasha threw his hands up and shouted, "Fuck no!"

Both Rin and Sesshomaru stared at the hanyou as if they thought he'd lost his everlasting mind.

Finding it curious how emotional his brother was in regards to Higurashi, Sesshomaru took a step closer. "Why not, Inuyasha?"

"Because, damn it!"

"Because what, Inuyasha?" the full-blooded demon asked again.

"Because if you think I'm going anywhere with her, then you're out of you goddamn minds! That's why!"

Truth be told, just the thought that he would be some place…any place with her alone was enough to get a blazing fire burning in the pit of his stomach. If he agreed to go… If she agreed to accompany him that would mean that he had a second chance to fix what he'd damaged. It meant that…It meant that he'd have time to get to know her and her him. It meant…It meant that the woman that he dreamed about and thought about continuously for weeks now would have a very real possibility of becoming a permanent part of his life. This was something that he just did not want!

"Inuyasha, you act as if you know Higurashi on a personal level," Sesshomaru commented.

"Feh, I know her type and that's all that matters!"

Sesshomaru scoffed, "You know her type? Well, I would suggest you take another look because I doubt you've seen anything like her before."

Inuyasha turned on his brother. _'What the hell does he mean by that? What is he trying to fucking say?'_ Shaking off his thoughts, he blurted, "Why the fuck are you so talkative today? Why don't you do what you normally do, shut the fuck up!"

"Inuyasha, no one is asking you to date her, we just need her there to handle the legal part of this closing," Rin pointed out softly, hoping to calm the tension in the air.

Growling, Inuyasha turned away from both of them. How could he have let so much emotion show where 'she' was concerned? Now his nosey ass brother was going to start snooping around. _'Holy Buddha,'_ he thought exasperatedly. _'It seems like she's being forced in my face! First she makes me almost wreck my bike, and then she just shows up at the restaurant I'm at, and then, the morning after, she's in my fucking office! This shit is not real!'_ Just then another, more soothing thought occurred, _'She's even worse than I am and she hates me. She fucking hates me! She'll never tell them yes.'_

Turning around to face his brother and sister-in-law, Inuyasha hissed, "Fine! If she agrees to go with me then it's a trip, but if she doesn't, you get someone else!"

Sesshomaru stared at his brother inquisitively, as if he was trying to read his mind. _'He's betting on her saying no,'_ he thought while schooling his features. "Fine, I'll ask her myself," he avowed as he turned to go back to his seat since he could smell Hoko coming out with dinner. _'What's the story with you and Higurashi, Inuyasha?'_ he thought and would've asked had he been anyone else.

Holding her hand out for Inuyasha to take, Rin called to him, "Come, let's eat. That's enough business talk for one day."

Taking her hand, Inuyasha squeezed it lightly then let it go as he took the seat he was going to take earlier, but said nothing. _'She'll say no, I know she will.'_

"Oh and Inuyasha, before you choose a mate and have pups, you've really got to work on that mouth of yours. I swear, you could use a good cleaning with turpentine," Rin added jokingly.

The hanyou laughed and replied in earnest, "One of these days, Rin, I will."

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_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

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"I hate when this happens," Kagome complained, rubbing her right eyelid, but unable to get it to stop twitching.

"What's wrong?"

"My eye is jumping or twitching or… Shit, it's irritating the hell out of me!"

Glancing over at her friend, Sango giggled and stated, "They say that when it does that, the love of your life is talking about you."

Tossing her pillow at Sango, she retorted, "You're such a liar! They say that your enemy is talking about you."

Situating the pillow that Kagome had just thrown at her behind her head, Sango replied, "Whatever, someone is still talking about you, nonetheless. I just happen to believe it's the love of your life."

"Yeah, leave it to you to believe it's the love of my life," Kagome responded acerbically.

"And leave it to you to believe it's your enemy."

Kagome stared down at her friend who was stretched out on her bedroom floor, thumbing through one of the two dozen wedding magazines she'd brought with her and wondered for the umpteenth time that day, _'Why the hell did I let her in?'_

Sango had arrived at her door a little before 10 A.M. carrying two large cups of coffee and a bag full of mini banana nut muffins, knowing that they were her favorites. For that reason alone, she let her in.

Since then, they'd painted their toes, done each other's hair, listened to Alanis Morissette, and killed a bottle of wine. Now they were looking through wedding magazines trying to find a wedding dress that didn't make Sango look too slutty, too fat, too skinny, too innocent, or too deflowered, as if that was possible.

"So are you going to make me ask you?" Sango queried, not looking up from the magazine she was quickly flipping through.

"Yes, I am because I haven't a clue as to what you're talking about," Kagome retorted.

"The asshole from the other night… Tell me about him?"

"What's there to tell? He's an ass."

Just the thought of him, Takahashi Inuyasha, was enough to make her head swim and heart palpitate. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply and forced the image of him in his baggy, stone washed jeans and plain white t-shirt from her mind. _'I'm not going to think about you. I'm not going to think about you,'_ she silently chanted.

Sitting up, Sango stared at her, not saying a word. _'Getting her to talk is like pulling teeth from a Saber-Tooth tiger.'_

Kagome could feel her friend's eyes boring gaping holes into her forehead, but still she did her best to pretend she was clueless.

Grinning, Sango leaned forward on the edge of the bed. "Let's play a game."

Kagome glanced up at her, and then back down at the magazine, knowing that this was something she was going to regret. Exhaling, she asked apprehensively, "What kind of game?"

Grinning mischievously, Sango replied, "It's called 20 questions. We take turns asking each other questions that you have to answer truthfully. If you don't then you don't trust or like the other person." She knew she'd lied about the last part and the manner in which the game was actually played, but what else could she do to get the truth out of her?

Kagome glanced up at her companion and asked, her tone blasé, "How old are you again?"

Knowing that her all-too-serious-at-times friend was being sarcastic, Sango replied in a high pitched voice as she closed her magazine and set it down next to her, "I'm 14 until I die, baby!"

Giggling, Kagome looked up at her again and sighed. _'How much damage could one little game do?' _she thought as she closed her magazine and sat up. "Fine, but if I have to tell the truth so do you."

Holding her pinky out for Kagome to take, she queried, "Pinky swear?"

Linking her pinky with Sango's, Kagome hissed, feeling like she'd just reverted back to the tender age of 9, "Pinky swear."

"I go first."

"Whatever," Kagome replied, truly not caring.

"What is his name?"

Kagome inhaled, already hating this game. "You don't beat around the bush, do you?"

"Just answer the question!"

"Takahashi Inuyasha."

Sango's eyes bulged out of her head. "You're not talking about the Takahashi's that own the Western Office Complex are you?"

Ignoring her, Kagome replied, "Isn't it my turn?"

Hating that she had to let it go for now, Sango mumbled, "Okay, go ahead."

"Have you ever cheated on Miroku? Or wanted to?"

"That's two question, but the answer is no."

Kagome nodded her acceptance of the answer and said, knowing that Sango, the ferret that she was, was definitely going back to her previous question, "Yes, he owns the complex with his brother." Taking a moment to take in Sango's look of shock, she asked, "My turn, right?" Not waiting on her friend to respond, she continued, her voice holding a small amount of mischief, "Do you think with Miroku working in that hospital with all those pretty…horny…nurses, he'd ever cheat on you or has?"

Sango thought that over for a moment, and then replied honestly, "I don't know what the future holds, but I trust him; so I'd have to say no, he hasn't cheated on me, but if he did…" She growled as if just the thought was enough to enrage her. "I would probably crush his fucking skull." Leaning forward on the bed, she finished calmly enough, "You'd represent me in court, wouldn't you?"

Kagome laughed and answered honestly, "Of course, right after I help you get rid of the body."

"I knew I could count on you," Sango avowed with a smile. "So, is he hot?"

Kagome bit down on her bottom lip as she stared at the far corner of her room, a stupid smirk on her face. _'Is he hot? That doesn't even begin to describe him,'_ she thought with a sigh. Shaking her head, she replied, "He's alright, but nothing to brag about."

"Liar! I've seen pictures of him in the newspaper, and that man, if he's the same one with the long white silver-ish hair, is fine as hell!"

Kagome ho-hummed, and retorted with a smirk, "Well if you already know that, why'd you ask me?"

"I wanted to know if you were actually going to be honest, you liar!"

Kagome laughed at Sango's mock anger as she laid back on her bed, her head spinning from the wine they'd been drinking. Placing her hands behind her head, she stared up at the ceiling and said truthfully, "He really is a nice looking guy until he opens his mouth, but it's to be expected, right?"

Forgetting about the game, Sango crawled up on the bed and stretched out next to her friend. "What did he do that was so bad, Kagome? When I read about him in the paper, people are always raving about some hospital he's funding or a homeless shelter his family is backing. Last month the man and his brother, who no one ever sees, opened an orphanage in Beijing, China. The news reporters talk about him like he's some kind of saint or something." She was quiet for a moment, and then she finished, "Wait, his last name is Takahashi! Is he related to Rin? Is her husband his brother?"

Kagome sighed again, ignoring her friend's last statement. "He's no saint, I'll tell you that. Then again, none of us are, are we?" Closing her eyes, she smiled, "Sometimes, people only see what they want to see. Regardless of what you show them, they'll only see what they choose to see." She wasn't sure whether she was talking about her or Inuyasha anymore, or maybe the statement was true in both cases.

Sango and Myoga-san chose to see Inuyasha as someone next to a saint, whereas she saw him as the ultimate definition of an ass. Her mom, brother, grandpa and even Rin thought she could do no wrong, yet Inuyasha more than likely thought she was the ultimate bitch. Then again, maybe she wanted to see him as an ass, so that's what she saw. And maybe, just maybe, he wanted to see her as a royal bitch, so that's what he saw.

'_Whatever it is, the damage has already been done,'_ she thought absently, her mind struggling to focus on any one thing.

Turning over on her belly, Sango stared at her companion and the soft content smile that was displayed over her beautiful face. In all the time that she'd known her, she'd never seen her this relaxed, this content…this peaceful. Reaching over, she gently pushed Kagome's bangs away from her closed eyes. "I don't know what he said to you or if he was really that much of an ass, but if he has anything to do with this pleasant little smile on your face, I like him already."

Opening her eyes, Kagome stared at her friend who was staring back down at her. Rolling over onto her side, she asked seriously, "Sango, why do you have so much faith in men?"

Sango laughed. "I don't have faith in men. I have faith in Miroku and the love that he gives me."

Kagome thought that over for a moment, then opened her mouth to say something, but Sango stopped her with a question of her own, "Why don't you have faith in love?"

"Honestly, I'm…" she stopped, bit down on her lower lip, and then started again, "I'm not sure, I know what love is. Kouga was my first…my only. Of course I had boyfriends in grade school, but they don't count. If all I have to go by is the way he loved me, then I'm a lost cause because that kind of love I can never have faith in."

Sango smiled. "So it's like you're a virgin."

"Huh?"

"Where true love is concerned, you've never experienced it. Therefore, you're a virgin in that aspect."

Rolling back onto her back, Kagome thought back to all the time, energy, and effort she put into her relationship with Kouga. She replayed all the emotions she experienced in her mind and all she could come up with was desperation.

From the beginning, all she felt was desperation. She was desperate to see him. She waited anxiously hoping that he'd come by. She'd frantically check the phone while waiting for his calls. She waited desperately for a believable excuse. She felt like she was coming undone at the seams when she couldn't be near him, talk to him. When she couldn't get to him or he didn't call like he said he would, she'd get angry, almost like she was going through withdrawal.

'I was the equivalent of a dope fiend. Is that love? If it is, then I don't want anything to do with it,' she thought. Turning her head towards her friend, Kagome asked softly, her voice pleading, "Sango, what does it feel like to be loved?"

Resting her head down so that it was elevated on her wrists, she replied without hesitation, "It feels like you're insides are being filled up with warm water that never grows cold. It's feels like… You know when your feet are hurting really bad and you soak them in hot water and Epsom salt? It's like that; it's soothing. It's… It feels like that giddy feeling you get when you eat something that is so sweet and delicious that it makes the inside of your mouth tingle. It feels like coming in from the cold to a warm house and a hot cup of coffee or cocoa."

Sango smiled and closed her eyes, her mind focused on the one and only man, she'd ever loved. "It feels like you're falling, constantly falling, just…falling, and you never worry about hitting the ground because you know without a shadow of a doubt that he'll catch you." Opening her eyes slowly, she glanced over at Kagome as she finished softly, while pushing herself up, "I need to call Miroku; I'll be right back."

Kagome watched her leave, her eyes sad and hopeless. She could feel her heart…her soul…her very being craving that feeling, wanting just once to be able to say that she knew what that felt like. Turning her head towards the window and the swiftly darkening sky, she whispered, admitted as a single tear trailed out the side of her eye, "I…I want that. I…I want to feel that. I want to feel loved, just once."

**Until Next Time**…(Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated.)

**Next Chapter**: Bamboozled


	17. Bamboozled

**A/N**: As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness. **Some of you may want to skip the first paragraph or two. **Since the reviews for this fic, over the past few weeks to a month, have fallen drastically, I won't be posting as often as I once did. Instead of every week it will be every other week. Please don't take this as a punishment, because it's not, I assure you. I've just been kind of neglecting my other fic, because there was such a demand for the new chapters of this one. Now that that demand has fallen off, I feel it's time for me to share my attention more evenly. Besides, Neko, my beta, and myself have just adopted another beta and we need to give her time to do what she needs to do with the chapters. To those of you that review religiously, thank you and never doubt that you're appreciated and thought about on a daily basis. To everyone else, thanks for reading and enjoy. You guys are freaking awesome, thank you!!

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**Disclaimer**: I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya and Dr. Aikio.

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**Chapter 17:**

_**Bamboozled**_

"I'm unbuttoning my shirt slowly," she whispered seductively. "Do you like that baby? Yeah, I know you do." She moaned softly and licked her lips. "Oh, damn I'm wet, can you feel it? Do you want to taste it?" She moaned again, her head falling back against the chair she was sitting in. "I love it when you touch me there, do it again." She inhaled. "Oh yes, just like that."

Her back arched up off the chair as her hips ground into the seat. Her legs parted as she whispered to her lover, "I want you inside me. I…I need you inside me. I'm throbbing baby. She's calling your name, can you hear her?" Her head tipped back a little further as her hand came up to caress her breast. "Umm, lick it. Just like that…just like that. Yes, yes, oh baby…"

"You nasty bitch," Kagome hissed, stepping up to Sango's desk. "Is this what you come in early to do?"

Sango actually had the audacity to blush as if embarrassed as she whispered into the phone, "I'm sorry, babe, but the Boss Lady just walked in. You're going to have to finish yourself off."

Kagome glared at her as she quickly hung the phone up and had the nerve to turn and face her with a huge grin on her face. She had been standing there for the better part of two minutes listening to her friend and employee's, x-rated phone call. She wasn't necessarily mad, but she was rather embarrassed that she'd seen and heard what she had.

"What if a client had walked in and heard you speaking like that?" Kagome growled in a low, authoritative voice.

Sango adjusted herself since she'd actually turned herself on in the process of trying to give her husband-to-be his morning fix via phone sex. Sure, she may have gotten a little carried away, but she'd never admit that; at least, not in the manner any normal employee would've if their boss had just caught them painting such a vivid picture.

"Please, your first appointment won't be here until 10:30."

"And exactly what does that have to with the price of rice in Rome?" Kagome asked irritably, staring down at her nonchalant looking friend. "What if one of the other Partners had walked in and caught you acting in such a whorish manner? How the hell would I explain to them why I shouldn't just fire your horny ass, Sango?"

Grinning sheepishly, she replied, "You think they don't have phone sex with their wives and mistresses? Please, if you ask me, you're the only that's not getting any."

"If they do it, I'm sure it's in the confines of their offices, you nit wit!"

"Well, if you put it like that, am I not in the confines of 'my' office?" Sango retorted while spreading her arms out to either end of her L-shaped desk.

Kagome narrowed her eyes at her friend. "You're fucking unbelievable!"

Standing up, a stack of files cradled in her arms, Sango couldn't help feeling as if her long-dead mother was chastising her. She replied snappily, "Actually I am very believable. I'm just a normal twenty-something female; willing to do any and everything to make sure that her man is pleased. You should get one and try it."

Kagome looked as if Sango had just slapped her across the face, but she quickly recovered. "Have you ever heard of being a lady in the street and a slut in the sheets, Sango?"

"Yeah, and?"

"And maybe you should practice it because the whole world doesn't have to know what you and yours do behind closed doors!"

Sango sighed and rolled her eyes in a childish manner. She wanted to continue debating this with Kagome, but she knew deep down somewhere in there that she was wrong for doing that on company time. Not being aware enough to have heard someone walk in was a tiny bit embarrassing. "Fine, I'm sorry, Boss Lady. It won't happen again, I promise."

Knowing that her apology was half assed at best, Kagome stared at her for moment longer before she shook her head disapprovingly and walked away. Realizing that Sango was following, she asked, "So did he cum?"

Giggling, Sango replied, "Nah, he had to finish himself off."

"I'm sure he won't have a problem with that."

"Believe it or not, Miroku doesn't like to masturbate. He feels like it's dehumanizing or something. The only reason why he was doing it today was because I was on the phone with him."

Setting her purse down on the corner of her desk, Kagome slipped out of her crème blazer as she asked, "So, how often do you guys do that phone sex stuff?"

"We normally do it when we're both at home. I'll call him from my cell and act like a horny stranger or he'll call me and act like the pervert that he is, you know, it kind of just breaks up the monotony."

Sitting down, and feeling totally intrigued by their current topic, but unwilling to show just how interested she really was, Kagome inquired, "What does he do when you go out of town?"

"I don't go out of town, but if I did, he'd probably come with me or he'd wait for me to come back," Sango replied. "Why are you asking me so many questions about this when only a few moments ago you were acting like it was the sickest, dirtiest thing in the world?"

Kagome frowned in thought. "Curious I guess."

Sango asked while handing her boss the files that would be needed for the day, "You've never had phone sex?"

"Never needed to, I guess." Sighing lightly, she changed the subject totally, "So, who's our first clients for the day?"

"Munsun Nak"

"That should be a fast one," Kagome avowed, picking up her file as the phone rang loudly around them. "Can you please get me a cup of coffee? I didn't sleep too well last night."

"Sure, let me get this first. Good morning, Higurashi Kagome's office," Sango said as she reached over and pulled a post-it off the dispenser.

"Who?" Sango queried to the unknown person on the phone, causing Kagome to look up.

"Okay, but…" Sango tried to say, but Kagome could tell that the person, whoever it was, cut her off rudely. "Did you say…? I really don't think she has time for…"

Sango growled, annoyed that she couldn't get a word in. "Sure, whatever, what time?" Slamming the phone down, she hissed, "That obnoxious asshole!"

Kagome knew very little was able to upset her friend, so for her to be upset it had to be a pretty bad conversation. "Who was it?"

"I think he said Jakken or something like that. Anyway, the indomitable Takahashi Sesshomaru is going to be stopping by on the way to his office, so you 'better' be available because his time is valuable and he 'better' not have to wait to see you. His words not mine," Sango finished, throwing the post-it in the nearest wastebasket.

"Jakken? Sesshomaru? I wonder what he wants," Kagome asked rhetorically.

Ignoring her question, Sango retorted angrily, "Well, I hope he brings that Jakken bastard with him so I can teach him a thing or two about manners! I can't believe he talked to me like that!"

"What did he say?" a voice inquired from the doorway.

Both ladies turned, only to come face to face with Takahashi Sesshomaru himself. He stood there staring at both of them, but his eyes focused more on the woman sitting behind the desk.

Sango gulped as she allowed her eyes to slowly take in his manner of dress. He had on a dark blue, double-breasted suit with a sky blue button down shirt underneath it and a multicolored tie that united the entire ensemble together a little too perfectly. His hair was loose, yet tamed and hung just past his buttocks. She knew this because she could see a few strands sticking out at the side of his hips.

"Good morning. Takahashi Sesshomaru, I presume," Sango stated with a bow and a flirty smirk.

As he stepped into the office, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a leather binder, he replied with a quick glance in her direction, "You presume correctly. Please continue, what is it that my assistant did to upset you?"

"That's not important," Kagome interjected quickly as she stood to her feet. "How nice to see you again Takahashi-sama, but to what do I owe this pleasure?"

Bowing again, the flustered young woman agreed, "As Higurashi-chan has stated it is not important." Turning to Kagome so that Sesshomaru couldn't see her, she mouthed, her eyes as big as saucers, _'He's so fucking hot.'_ She then said, "I'll be at my desk if you need me."

Trying not to laugh, Kagome watched her friend and assistant make a more than hasty exit, sparing only a moment to close the door behind her. Turning her attention back to Sesshomaru, who was staring at the closed door, she stated, "Please have a seat. I haven't started working on the amendments quite yet, but I hope to have them done this afternoon so that they can be sent overnight to your clients."

Taking a seat in one of the well-cushioned leather chairs before her, Sesshomaru set the leather binder he was carrying in his lap and stared around the office slowly.

He hadn't paid much attention to it when he'd first come to her office at Rin's request, but now that he felt he knew her a little better, he had to admit that he found the place well kept and immaculately decorated. This was a complete contrast to what he thought he knew of her personality.

'_There's always a surprise with this one.'_

Turning his attention back to her, he crossed his legs in a manly fashion and began, his expression unreadable, "That is not the reason for my visit today. However, I am sure that you will see to it that everything is handled appropriately and in a timely manner."

'_If that wasn't his reason for coming here this early in the morning…'_ she thought, eyeing him skeptically.

Not being one to mince words or beat around the bush, Sesshomaru continued, "It would seem that we, myself and my brother, are still in need of your assistance, Higurashi."

'_My assistance… What the hell is he talking about?'_ Sitting back, her interest thoroughly peaked by his statement, Kagome eyed him closely, but didn't know exactly how she should respond to that.

Sesshomaru took her silence and the spiked change in her scent as a sign for him to continue, "As you know, my wife, Rin, is well into her final trimester of this pregnancy and in such a condition, she is not able to travel."

"Of course, but what does this have to do with me?"

"As of yesterday it has everything to do with you, Higurashi. The closing is coming up in a week's time and we need you to complete what you started yesterday."

One eyebrow quirked higher than the other, Kagome replied hesitantly, knowing that she was missing something important, "I am finishing what I started. As I already told you, Takahashi-sama, the documents will be sent out tonight."

'_Am I speaking with Inuyasha?'_ Sesshomaru thought absently, and then continued, _'There's no possible way that she could not know or have an inkling as to what I'm speaking of.'_ Shifting the binder on his lap, he stated, "There has to be an attorney at the closing to represent Takahashi Mergers & Investments. That attorney would normally have been Rin, but because of her current situation, neither she nor I will be able to make it. We need you to complete this transaction, Higurashi, in its entirety."

Kagome blinked and shifted in her chair, not totally comprehending what he was getting at, but knowing just the same. "Ex…excuse me?"

"Was there any part of that that you did not understand?" he inquired with a hint of exasperation.

"I…I…" she stuttered. Inhaling, her mind barely able to put together one coherent thought, Kagome tried again, "I…I'm sorry, but I can't."

"You can't or you won't, which is it really?"

Kagome had never been a very spontaneous person, so to stand here and tell him without thinking about it that she'd fly to God knows where to do this closing was just out of the question. Besides, outside of the contract, she knew nothing of this merger. Standing to her feet, she spoke, her voice wavering slightly, "I'm sorry, but I can't. My work load won't allow me to be gone from the office for any amount of time."

"Is that the only reason why you 'think' you can't?" Sesshomaru asked dryly.

Stepping around her desk and over to her wet bar, Kagome tried desperately to think of something, anything that she could tell him that would make him accept her answer as final. "I don't know anything about this merger outside of what the contract said. Where is the closing supposed to take place? How long would you expect me to be gone?" Growling to herself since she could feel her agitation rising, she stated, "Maybe if I had more time to think about it, but…"

Standing up as well, Sesshomaru set the leather binder on the corner of her desk and turned to face her. "The closing will take place in Kapalua, Maui, one of the Hawaiian Islands. If you decided to go, you would be gone a total of 4 days; two for travel, going and coming, and two on the actual island. You would also only be missing one day at the office because your flight would leave Friday night for Maui and arrive back in Tokyo on Monday night. This trip is all expenses paid, including whatever personal effects you may desire to bring back with you."

'_Gods, he has it all figured out.'_ Taking a sip of water that she'd just poured, Kagome sighed heavily while shaking her head negatively. _'I can't go. ...But its Maui… It's halfway around the world. Although… I guess I could…'_ Shaking her head, she blurted, "This is a business meeting. Why would you choose to have it in a place like…like Maui?"

Though she'd never been there before, she knew it was known to be one of the top five honeymoon spots in the world, which meant that it was a very romantic place. Most people would have thought that this was wonderful, but the last thing she needed right now was to be accosted by loving, in love, and lustful couples, groping each other every five minutes like horny teenagers.

Shoving both his hands in his pockets, Sesshomaru replied, "It's not our doing. The clients decided that since this merger has been a rather stressful one, they'd have the closing some place less demanding."

Kagome frowned, she didn't want to tell him no, but she just couldn't see herself saying yes. "I'm sorry, Takahashi-sama, but right now, I…I just can't. I have just a little too much going on in my personal life," she lied.

"Is that your final answer?"

She nodded and looked away shyly as she took another sip from her glass.

Sesshomaru looked away from her and around her office. He hadn't wanted to take this route, but the stubborn, bull-headed woman was leaving him no other recourse. If he didn't get her to say yes, then Inuyasha wouldn't go, and if he didn't go, that meant they would lose the deal. More importantly, if he accepted her 'no' as an answer that would mean that his half brother had won and that was just unacceptable.

Sighing deeply, he queried evenly, "Higurashi, you are a partner at this firm, are you not?"

Kagome looked at him, but she didn't respond because he had to have already known the answer to that question for him to ask it in such a manner.

"Tell me in one sentence what it was that you did to become partner here at such a young age," Sesshomaru requested, his golden gaze unwavering.

She inhaled, not sure why she was even following him up. "I went above and beyond for a few of our more important clients."

"Exactly. Now, tell me, do you not consider Takahashi Mergers and Investments an 'important' client?"

Kagome frowned. _'This bastard, he's… I can't fucking believe him,'_ she thought, trying desperately to keep her face calm. _'Why am I not surprised? After all, he is that prick's older brother! I guess Takahashi Inuyasha had to get it from somewhere!'_

Taking a step towards her, he continued, "What do you think Yamaguchi would say if he found out that he lost my company's account because you refused to oversee a simple closing?"

'_Yama…guchi?'_ Kagome inhaled heavily.

Yamaguchi was the CFO of her law firm. He'd actually built it from the ground up and took pride in bragging to their potential clients that there were no bounds that his attorneys would not leap for their clients. So, no, he wouldn't look kindly on her turning this Takahashi bastard down.

Shaking her head, Kagome murmured softly, "That's low, Takahashi-sama."

"And this is business, Higurashi," he retorted as he walked towards the door. "Your itinerary, including your airline tickets, is in that binder there on your desk. I'll have a car pick you up at your home at 5:30 on Friday afternoon."

"I…I didn't say, I'd go," Kagome blurted helplessly.

"Higurashi, perhaps I've confused you somewhere. I only asked to be…polite. You never had a choice." Sesshomaru declared turning on her. "Either you go, or I'll make a call to Yamaguchi letting him know that all of my business and the business of the tenants in my office building will be pulled from this firm because of a partner by the name of, Higurashi…Kagome. Have I made myself clear?"

Kagome was flabbergasted. He was so refined before, quiet even. He was appreciative to her for doing him and his wife a favor, but now…this man before her…

All of the sudden, she understood. She understood that this was actually the nature of his and his brother's business. They were sharks! They devoured people…companies…things. They never, ever took no for an answer and now would be no different.

Staring at her crestfallen face, Sesshomaru stated as he reached for the door, "I'll let Rin know that, once again, you were more than happy to assist us. She will be most pleased."

"This…this isn't fair," she whispered brokenly. _'How can he do this? He can't just make me go! I…I… Damn it! I don't have a fucking choice!'_

Opening the door, he replied, "No, its business." As if it was an after thought, he finished smoothly, "Inuyasha will fill you in on everything else you need to know for this closing during the flight. Good day, Higurashi."

She felt her heart stop. She couldn't blink, couldn't think, and couldn't swallow.

'_Inu…yasha?'_

Her palms became sweaty, her knees began to shake, and her stomach did flips around her large intestines.

'_This…isn't… possible. I…I… How the hell… Have the Gods gone mad?'_

Watching the door close softly, Kagome picked up her glass and clutched it in her fist tightly, wanting more than anything to just throw it at the back of Sesshomaru's head.

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_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

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"Your coffee, Takahashi-san," Nya stated politely, setting down the cup of coffee on the edge of Inuyasha's desk. She'd promised herself after he'd rudely cursed her out and hung up on her that she'd remove herself from his friends list, per se. Sure, she was used to his crass attitude and his vulgar whip-like tongue, but she felt that, for the sake of her sanity, she had to draw the line somewhere and this was it.

Inuyasha glanced up at her, a little taken aback by her politeness. She may have been a lot of things to him, but she was never very…polite. "What's your problem?" he queried, reaching over and picking up the cup.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Nya, cut the crap. What's with the Takahashi-san shit? And when the hell did you become so fucking proper?"

Squaring her shoulders, she held her head higher and willed herself to not say what she so desperately wanted to as she replied, "You hired me to do a job and so I'm here to do it."

Taking a sip of his coffee, Inuyasha stared at the woman, but couldn't figure out for the life of him what had crawled up her ass_. 'Maybe it's her time of the month,'_ he thought with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders.

Her fingers interlaced before her, she asked, "Did the meeting go well, Takahashi-san? Are there any documents that you would have me prepare?"

"No," the hanyou mumbled. "Higurashi Kagome will be preparing those."

Not caring who this Higurashi Kagome person was or wasn't, Nya turned and prepared to leave, but was stopped by his voice booming in her ear.

"Okay, enough is e-fucking-nough! What's your goddamn problem? Did that bastard do something to you?"

Nya stared at him, her expression never changing. "My personal life is no concern of yours, Takahashi-san, and yours is no longer a concern of mine. You hired me to be your assistant and that's what I am. No more, no less. Now, if you don't need me for anything, I have some files that I need to prepare for your accountant." The last part was a total and unadulterated lie.

Inuyasha laughed, unwilling to believe that she was serious. "Since when is my personal life none of your business?" he asked rhetorically.

Trying not to roll her eyes, Nya inhaled deeply, doing her damnest to remain impassive and professional.

Inuyasha chuckled while leaning forward in his seat. "You know if you would've told me that a few months ago I would've thanked you, but…"

"If this doesn't have anything to do with business, I must ask you to refrain from speaking with me," Nya stated cutting him off. She wanted to laugh at the shocked expression on his face, but was able to maintain her calm.

"Sit…down," the hanyou almost shouted as he stood abruptly to his feet. _'What the fuck is her problem? Did I do something to her?_' At any other time he would've found this amusing and rather refreshing, but after the weekend he had, had, he just didn't feel like dealing with another moody bitch; and certainly not one that he had to spend more than eight hours of his day with.

"Why? So you can tell me to stay out of your life?" Not waiting for him to respond she finished, her anger rolling to the surface, "Well, I'll pass! The last time you and I had a conversation about anything not pertaining to Takahashi Mergers & Investments was the last time we were going to have 'that' conversation!"

One would've thought that a light bulb had gone off in his head by the expression on his face. _'The other night… The date… Oh shit… She's mad...'_

_**Flashback**_

_Holding the phone up to his ear, he heard her answer with a chipper, "How's it going? Isn't she pretty?"_

"_Oi, don't you ever try setting me up again," he stated his voice holding a hint of annoyance and a tad bit of anger._

"_What happened?"_

"_The stupid bitch stood me up! That's what fucking happened," Inuyasha hissed. Taking the phone from his ear, he took a slow sip of his drink._

"_She wouldn't have done that. She was excited about meeting you," Nya tried to explain, but Inuyasha cut her off._

"_Excited my ass! That stinking cunt stood me up! This is the last fucking time, Nya! No more dates! No more meet this bitch or that bitch! Your three strikes are up," he hissed as he closed the flip on his phone and turned it off with his thumb._

_**End Flashback**_

Stepping towards his desk, she ground out, "You, sir, are an ass. In all of my working experience, I have never been privy to working with anyone as narcissistic, self-loathing, and downright rude as you! How it's possible to be all three at once is beyond me, but you, Takahashi Inuyasha, have them all mastered!"

Inuyasha sat down, but didn't even try to interrupt her. He just stared at her as if she had lost her mind. _'She can't be this mad, can she?'_

"All I've ever tried to do is take care of you since that bitch left your ass, but all you ever give me is grief! Well no more, Inuyasha, no more! If you want to sit around here and sulk and feel bad for yourself because that gold-digging two-timing whore left you, you do that because I'm done!"

"Did I ask for your goddamn help?" he snapped, trying to regain control. After all, he was supposed to be her boss.

"You didn't have to because that's what friends do!"

"You're just pissed because I didn't go out with your little vagina tickling friend!"

"No, I'm not! I'm pissed because all you ever do is talk down to me when all I'm trying to do is show you that you weren't the problem! That conniving cunt, Kikyo, was," Nya almost shouted.

Inuyasha stared at her. He knew she was only trying to help him by setting him up on dates and maybe he had gone a little too far during their last conversation. But damn it, what was done was done, she needed to get over it!

"Feh, I don't give a fuck," he whispered, more to himself than to her.

Turning away from him, she threw her arms up in defeat as she finished, "Just stick a fork in me because, I promise you, this Nya is done with you and your depressingly broken-hearted crap!"

Standing up, Inuyasha yelled, "You can't fucking quit!"

Nya turned quickly, her eyes narrowed, her hands on her hips. "Who said anything about quitting?" she hissed. "I may be pissed at you right now, but I'm not stupid," she finished, proceeding out the door.

Feeling like a total baka, Inuyasha scratched his head and mumbled, "Oh, just letting you know," as if he thought he'd just told her off.

Sitting back down in his chair, Inuyasha scowled at the door as if she was still standing there telling him about himself.

'_I don't give a fuck if her feelings are hurt. I've been telling her from the beginning to stay out of this and to leave me alone,'_ he tried to tell himself.

Sighing, he reached over and picked up the cup of coffee that she'd brought him and had brought him everyday since she started working for him.

'_It ain't my fault that her feelings got hurt! How many fucking times did I have to tell her to mind her own goddamn business?'_

He took a sip of his coffee and tried desperately to fight off the tiny voice that whispered to him that she meant well…she always meant well.

He knew that in this world where he had everything and yet so few people that truly cared for him, he could always count on her to be standing at the top of that small pile.

'_I ain't fucking apologizing! I told her ass I didn't want to go out on that damn date. It's her fucking fault!'_

Staring down at the cup of coffee in his hand, he growled dejectedly. Reaching over, he started to hit the intercom button, but thought better of it. _'Maybe I'll let her calm down a little first,'_ he thought as he picked the phone up and hit the button for the operator.

"Takahashi Inuyasha here; connect me with the florist on the ground floor."

It took about 30 seconds for the line to click over, but as soon as it did, Inuyasha stated, "I need a bouquet of Lilies and whatever else you have delivered to my office."

The young lady inquired, "How soon will you need them, sir?"

"As soon as you can get them up here, just leave them with my assistant."

"Okay and what would you like me to put on the card?"

Inuyasha thought that over for a minute, and then said, "Suck it up."

"Excuse me?" the woman queried.

"I want the card to say, "Suck it up."

Inuyasha heard the woman stuttering incoherently so he took that moment to cut the conversation off. "Just get them up here before twelve," he demanded then quickly hung the phone up as his brother stepped into the office carrying a leather binder.

"Half breed"

"Asshole," Inuyasha replied.

Tossing the folder onto his younger brother's desk, Sesshomaru said, "Your itinerary."

Inuyasha stared from his brother to the binder and back again. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Without even a look backwards, the full demon replied, "Have you forgotten our deal, Inuyasha?"

'_Deal? What fucking…'_ Blinking a few times, Inuyasha mumbled in disbelief, "She didn't. She wouldn't. No fucking way." Picking up the leather binder, he quickly read the ticket and the time for the flight. Dropping it back onto his desk, he asked seriously, his eyes narrowed, "What did you do, threaten her?"

Turning slightly to face his brother, Sesshomaru replied, his face impassive, "I did no such thing. Higurashi was more than happy to go on this trip for us."

As Sesshomaru walked out the door, Inuyasha hissed to himself, "He's lying. What the fuck did he do or should I say, say to her to make her agree? Surely if she knew I was going, she would've said no right away."

Staring down at the tickets again, he thought, _'Maui with her for two whole days is going to be absolute hell.'_

**Until Next Time**… (Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated.)

Next Chapter: Turbulence and Then Some

**A/A/N**: I don't like to give false hope, so I'll give you all one piece of advice, 'don't get your hopes too high'.


	18. Turbulence and Then Some

**A/N:** As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness. Well, my professional life has taken a nasty little dip into the toilet along with my personal life (sighs). If you're reading this, then that means that I haven't taken a flying leap out of my bedroom window (it's on the first floor, so don't worry about it too much). This chapter has been written and edited for some time, but I haven't really been motivated enough to do anything with it, until now. Right now, I'm battling a little bit of writers block, don't get me wrong it's not because I don't have any ideas, because I do. I just can't seem to distinguish the good ones from the bad ones or focus on any of them long enough, to put them in any sort of order (my life sucks right now, trust me). Anyway, this is more of a rant or vent than an author's note, so I'll shut up now. Thanks for reading and reviewing to those of you that do. Thank you Neko Lady for your outstanding job with editing my chapters and your unwavering support. And I'd like to take a moment to welcome a new beta to my team, LilAkikoElf. She hasn't caught up to us yet, but she's chugging along like the little champ that she is. That's it from me. See you when I see you and enjoy! Peace!!

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**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership to anyone or anything, with the exception of Nya, Malcolm, and Dr. Aikio.

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**Chapter 18:**

_**Turbulence and Then Some**_

"We will be taxiing away from the gate shortly," a feminine voice stated over the intercom.

Kagome swallowed and tried to calm her rapidly beating heart. It wasn't that she was afraid of flying or anything of the sort. It was more that he, Takahashi Inuyasha, hadn't arrived yet. Part of her wanted him to miss the flight, but the other smaller, insignificant, and annoying part of her desperately wanted to see him.

She'd arrived at the Tokyo Metropolitan Airport early and sat at the gate anxiously looking around, hoping she didn't see him strolling towards her with that knowing smirk on his face. While that same annoying, despicable part of her subconscious was secretly jumping for joy every time it saw a glimpse of white.

To make matters worse, the seat next to her was still empty. Did this mean that his ass of a brother had gotten them adjoining seats? Or was she just reading too much into it?

Glancing around the sparsely filled first class section of the plane, she sighed lightly. _'That doesn't mean anything. There are more empty seats up here because most people can't afford to fly this way,_' she tried to reason with herself as she turned to look behind her and through the curtains that separated the overpopulated economy class from her section.

Settling back, Kagome tried to shut off her mind, but no matter what she did, she couldn't stop the anxious feeling from creeping slowly up her spine. She wanted to jump up and run off the plane! She wanted to run into the economy class and hide within the midst of the hoards of people jammed in there like sardines in a tin can one size too small!

'_How did I let him…' _she cut off her own thought and reworded it, _'I didn't have a fucking choice! That bastard… That bastard left me no fucking alternative!'_

Glancing up at the redheaded flight attendant that looked like she belonged on the cover of a porno magazine, Kagome couldn't stop her mind from wandering back to her last conversation with Sango.

_**Flashback**_

"_Why are you so pissed? It's a free trip to one of the most beautiful places on earth; not to mention you are going with one of the nicest looking men on the face of the planet," Sango commented from her perch on her friend's dresser._

_Pulling out another shirt from her dresser drawer, Kagome forewent folding it and instead balled it up and threw it into her opened suitcase. "That's really besides the fucking point! I don't care how 'cute' he is or how beautiful that goddamn place is, I have a life you know! And it doesn't have anything to do with the Takahashis and their bullshit!"_

_Sliding off of the dresser, Sango decided the she'd proceed with caution as she sat down next to the suitcase and began to slowly fold the things that Kagome had already thrown in it carelessly. "If you ask me, you don't have much of a life."_

_Turning on her, Kagome snarled, "Who asked you?"_

_Glancing up at her friend that she knew was a little too angry to be rational, Sango continued to slowly fold the clothes and replace them neatly in the suitcase. "If I didn't' know any better, I'd say that you were more frightened than anything else."_

"_Frightened?" Kagome mimicked in disbelief. "Please! Ever since I almost ran over his sorry ass, all I've been doing is running into him! And now look at me! I'm packing a fucking suitcase to travel halfway across the fucking world to do a fucking closing for him and his prick of a brother!" Snatching a few of her business suits out of her closet, she tossed them on the bed. "I'm not scared of anything, I assure you! I just wish he…all of them would crawl back up under that rock that they came from because my life was much simpler before I had any contact with him!"_

"_And…what would you be doing now, had this offer not presented itself?" Not waiting for her to respond, Sango continued, "It's not like you're not getting paid. Hell, if you ask me…"_

_Kagome cut her off, "Once again, who…asked…you?"_

_Sango shook her head dejectedly. "Boss Lady, you have to stop this. I don't even want to ask you what the real problem is because I know you won't tell me. But, if you want a piece of friendly advice…"_

_Kagome turned to look at her, her eyes narrowed as if at any moment she would pounce on her._

"_Whatever is holding you back; let it go. Life is too short to live with such anger. You have to grab what little happiness and pleasure you can find because you could be wiped off the face of the planet at any given moment. Then what will you be left with?" she queried rhetorically, then answered her own question, "That's right, nothing but regret."_

"_Let you tell it, I'll be dead. So, I really don't think it will matter. Now will it?"_

_Grabbing a pair of her boss's jeans, Sango ignored her snappy comment and proceeded to fold them as she continued, "So what if he's Takahashi Inuyasha? So what if you feel railroaded into going on this trip with him? Make the best of it because things like this only happen once in a lifetime."_

_Kagome turned away from her and made her way over to the drawer that held her intimates, but she didn't respond._

" _I would love to be in your shoes right now, so make the most of it. The closing is supposed to last, two maybe three hours, and then you're free to do what you want, when you want, right?" Not waiting for an answer, she finished, "Do like that black woman in that movie based__in Jamaica did; find an islander and get your groove back." _

_Walking over to her suitcase, Kagome dropped an arm full of her intimates in. "I don't know Sango. I...I'm just… Takahashi Inuyasha makes me…"_

_Standing up, Sango wrapped her arms around her and hugged her tight as she cut her off, "Miroku always tells me that the one thing that scares you or frightens you or even makes you nervous the most; is the one thing that you must pursue and conquer."_

_**End flashback**_

"Pursue and conquer?" Kagome whispered as she looked up at the redheaded attendant and beckoned her towards her. _'If only I had the balls to that, Sango.'_

"Ma'am?"

"How much longer will it be before we take off?" Kagome asked, looking down at her watch. Hearing some commotion near the door of the plane, she looked up and queried, "What's going on up there?"

The stewardess smiled. "I'm sure it's fine. It's probably just the person we were waiting on."

'_We were… They were… They held the whole fucking flight up for…'_ her thought stopped immediately as she watched him step suavely through the door. An un-tucked, short-sleeved, white linen button down shirt draped over his masculine chest. A pair of acid washed, baggy jeans hugged his thighs snuggly, leaving only enough room for the imagination.

'_Boom chicka wah wah,'_ she couldn't help but to think. However, she quickly berated herself for even thinking of him in such a way.

His hair falling lazily over his shoulders, Inuyasha smiled confidently at the redheaded woman, that had only moments ago been standing over Kagome, as he handed her his carry-on bag and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Takahashi-sama," she confirmed with a bow as she pointed to his seat, which Kagome hoped was behind her instead of right next to her.

Glancing at her, Inuyasha smiled genuinely showing off just a glimpse of his fangs. "Thank you."

Kagome swallowed and tried to look away, or at least uninterested, but she knew she was failing, because the closer he came to her, the wider his smile grew.

"Oi," he stated, looking her up and down even though she was seated. Leaning so that one arm was on the seats in front of her and the other on the seat right next to her, he continued, "Sorry for making you wait, I got a little tied up."

'_I bet! He probably had to fuck his girlfriend one last time before he left!' _Rolling her eyes, Kagome huffed, her voice annoyed, "Look, find your seat and save your apologies for someone that truly cares, okay?"

Throwing his hands up in defeat, Inuyasha sat down next to her and stated, "See, here I am trying to at least 'pretend' to be nice to you, and all you can do is shoot me down."

'_I fucking knew it!'_ she thought as she scooted over towards the window even though she didn't have to. Placing her purse in between them, she then pulled her seatbelt together in order to fasten them as she snapped, "You don't need to pretend to be anything to me! Just stay out of my way this weekend and we'll be fine!"

Shrugging in an 'I-don't-care' fashion, the hanyou fastened his belt and leaned back in his seat as if he didn't have a care in the world. "If you're going to act like a bitch this entire time, then I'm sure I can find some of my prick-esque tendencies."

She could feel the plane taxiing backwards as she glanced over at him, but didn't dare say anything_. 'Asshole,'_ she silently hissed. _'Does he think he's warning me? Wait… I know…'_

"Please fasten your seat belts and leave them fastened until the no seat belt sign is given," a voice chirped over the intercom. As soon as that voice went away, another came on and was giving directions as to where the nearest exits were and what to do in the event of a crash and such.

Kagome couldn't help but to think, _'If we crash, all I'm going to do is kiss my ass goodbye. To hell with the floatation devices and oxygen and shit! What will it matter? In the end… From as high up as we'll be, it won't matter any goddamn way.'_

Glancing over at her seatmate, Kagome couldn't help but to stare at him as he sat back with his eyes closed. His face looked like it was as smooth as a baby's bottom and as soft as melting butter. He looked innocent, quiet, sensitive, trustworthy, but she knew better.

'_Kouga looked just as innocent when he slept, didn't he?'_ she questioned. Still, she couldn't look away. Letting her eyes roam down his neck to the tender flesh of his chest that she could see since he wasn't totally buttoned up, she found it hard to stop herself from wanting to touch him, if only for one brief moment.

The memories of her dreams about him began dancing before her eyes. They were clips, mere snapshots of their bodies intertwined… There were peeks, glimpses of his chiseled chest, his back, and his hands roaming over every inch of her body.

"See something you like?" he asked softly, one golden eye opened slightly and directed towards her.

"Go to hell," Kagome retorted with disdain as she shook her head, forcing away her thoughts. Sitting back, she mentally kicked herself for allowing her mind to run rampant.

"I'll make sure to save a seat for you right beside me," Inuyasha replied with a chuckle as the plane began to climb quickly into the night sky. He could smell the change in her scent, but he wasn't sure exactly what that was for. After all, she did despise him, didn't she?

The two of them sat in silence, trying to ignore the other while fighting off the way their ears were popping and their stomachs seemed to be doing flips.

As the plane finally began to level off, the captain stated over the intercom, "We will be cruising at 35,000 feet. We should be arriving in Honolulu, Hawaii, at 7:25 A.M. Those of you that will be taking connecting flights to other destinations, please await further travel information from your wonderful Flight Attendants, who will be serving you your dinner meals and drinks shortly. The evening movie will be Serendipity and should begin shortly after 9. You're now free to move around the cabin. Thank you for flying United Airlines."

'_Serendipity? Seren…dipity? My Gods, what in the hell are you trying to tell me?'_ She knew that 'serendipity' meant fate, destiny, and chance! What exactly were the Gods trying to tell her? Why this movie? Why this flight? Why did it have to be with Takahashi Inuyasha?

Inuyasha chuckled as if he'd just read her mind. Glancing at her, he said, "Who would've thought that after our first, second, and third meeting, I'd be taking you to romantic Maui?"

"First, you are not taking me anywhere! Second, don't assume that you and I are anything other than business partners, and that's barely! And thirdly, you can thank that 'ass' you call a brother!"

"My sentiments exactly," the hanyou quipped, ignoring the rest of her statement. "I knew there had to be something that we agreed on."

"Takahashi-sama, Ma'am, would you care for the rack of lamb, chicken cordon bleu or the baked tilapia for dinner?" the redheaded stewardess queried, smiling down at Inuyasha.

"I'll take the chicken," Inuyasha replied, staring at Kagome.

"I'll have the tilapia," Kagome added, watching the redheaded porno star watch Inuyasha closely_. 'What the hell is she looking at?' _she thought heatedly._ 'What if he and I were together? I can't believe she's just flirting with him like this in front of me!'_ Kagome cleared her throat loudly and asked abruptly, "Was there something else you needed?" As soon as those words left her mouth she felt stupid, well, beyond stupid.

How could she sit there and act as if this…this tramp had actually done something to offend her? She didn't like Inuyasha! As a matter of fact, she hated his guts with a passion, didn't she?

If that was so, then why could she feel her blood slowly begin to boil the longer the woman stood there gazing down on him, as though at any moment she would straddle his hips and do the unthinkable right there before her?

The woman stuttered and stumbled over her words, "Um-I-I need to know what you would like to drink with your meal."

Inuyasha laughed and sat back, his eyes still trained on Kagome's now beet red face. Looking away from her and towards the attendant, he replied smoothly, "Bring us a two Vodka sours for now."

Kagome glanced over at him, but didn't respond or try to stop him. _'What the hell am I doing?'_

"Right away and, should you need anything…anything at 'all'…please, let me know," the porno star purred, staring down at Inuyasha.

Grinning, the hanyou leaned forward, looking as if he'd just walked out of a Tommy Bahama magazine and asked seductively, one eyebrow quirked higher than the other, "Any…thing?"

"Any…thing," she replied with a sexy smirk and a gentle rock of her hips.

Kagome didn't know what came over her. It could've been the way the woman was just blatantly disregarding her existence, or it could've been that somewhere deep, deep down inside she was actually jealous. The latter of the two, she just refused to even acknowledge.

Shoving Inuyasha roughly back against his seat, she leaned forward and hissed as she quickly eyed the woman's name tag, "Marcy, I suggest you go get those damn drinks before you end up wearing my foot up your ass as your newest accessory!"

Inuyasha outright laughed. "I knew you had a nasty attitude, but I had no idea that you cared for me so much."

"Please, get over yourself! That had absolutely nothing to do with you throwing yourself at her or her throwing herself at you. You can screw whomever or should I say whatever-you want to, I don't care. I just want my drink," she lied, or was she telling the truth?

"Yeah, well, that must be one hell of a thirst you got going there because it sure seemed more like jealousy than anything else to me."

Kagome rolled her eyes and crossed her arms beneath her full breasts. "Please, as if I would even waste the energy. If you were on fire, I wouldn't piss on you to put it out."

Inuyasha found it entirely too easy to get under her skin. Leaning forward so that he was a breath away from her ear, he whispered, "Ah, so now you're promising me golden showers, are you?"

Feeling the heat of his breath on her ear, she tried to lean away, but found she hadn't far to go. Glancing at him out the corner of her eye, she caught his golden gaze staring directly at her unblinking and unwavering. "I-I-I promised you no such thing," she stuttered as she tried to adjust her breathing.

Licking his lips, Inuyasha retorted softly, sensually, "Of course you did. You just said…" He leaned closer. "…If I was on fire, you would piss on me to put it out." Biting down on his bottom lip, he finished, "That sounds like an offer to me."

Kagome swallowed, tried to hide the fact that his heated breathe on her earlobe was turning her on_. 'He's so close. I have to… go… I have to get out of here,' _she thought desperately, but realized she actually had no place to run to besides the bathroom. She absolutely hated small spaces if they weren't absolutely necessary, so that wasn't an option at all.

"Your drinks," the redheaded stewardess, Marcy interrupted, trying to keep her eyes from focusing in on either Kagome or Inuyasha.

Feeling relieved that Inuyasha had finally backed off, Kagome closed her eyes and sighed softly while trying to show him that he'd hadn't had any kind of effect on her. "Thank you," she heard Inuyasha say as she opened her eyes and stared over at where he had set their drinks.

"Your dinners should be done shortly."

Inuyasha murmured, "Yeah, okay," impatiently, while handing one of the drinks to his reluctant companion. Watching the woman hurry down the isle, he teased, "Damn you really got to her. Now who the hell am I going to get to initiate me into the mile high club?"

"You're just nasty," Kagome retorted with contempt as she took her drink from him.

Inuyasha chuckled suavely, but didn't reply. He couldn't remember the last time he'd actually laughed so much, even if it was at someone else's expense.

Staring down at her drink, a frown on her face, Kagome questioned apprehensively, "Do you think she spit in it? I would have, had someone spoke to me like that."

Switching his drink with hers without even thinking about it, he replied, "Everyone ain't as bitchy as you. So, no, she probably didn't."

Taken aback by how he so easily switched drinks with her, her retort died on her tongue. Taking a sip, she set it down in the cup holder in front of her.

"I know you hate me and you probably didn't want to come on this trip, so tell me…how, exactly, did my brother talk you into it?" Inuyasha queried evenly, sitting back, his drink in his hand.

"I'd rather not say…although, I will say that I've gained a strong dislike for him."

Inuyasha nodded as he took another sip of his drink. "He has that effect on people. I just can't figure out for the life of me why Rin loves him."

It was Kagome's turn to laugh. "You're right; they are polar opposites, aren't they?"

Inuyasha stared at her; his eyes trained on her face while the sound of her laughter found a permanent home in his brain. "You should do that more often."

Frowning, she queried, "What?"

"Laugh."

Kagome snorted softly and rolled her eyes again as she sat back in her seat, her head turned towards the window. Watching the night sky fly past, she couldn't help but to smile to herself.

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

Glancing down at his watch, Inuyasha yawned sleepily and tried not to move too much, so as to not jar the young woman who was haphazardly passed out on his shoulder. 

He'd been sitting there for the past few hours listening contently to the quietness of the plane, the humming of the massive engines, and the melodious beat of her heart.

Staring up at the small yellow and red lights that glowed softly above him, the hanyou shifted his legs so that they were crossed at the ankles and his free arm bent backwards behind his head.

The chairs that they were sitting in were now reclined so far back that they could've easily been medical beds. He'd seen something like them advertised on late night TV, and figured that, that was the reason she was now leaning against him.

'_Thank God for first class,'_ he thought, glancing down at her sleeping face. _'If she saw herself right now, she'd probably slap the shit out of me.' _He wanted to laugh at that thought because the girl's temper seemed to know no bounds, even if she 'was' in the wrong.

After they'd eaten dinner, they'd shared a few more drinks and had actually had a normal conversation with little to no hostility. He figured it was probably the drinks that had caused her to lower her battle wall, because she became very forthcoming and honest with all the questions that he asked her.

As they talked, he found it hard to believe that she was the same woman that had so unceremoniously cursed him out. It was almost as if she, Higurashi Kagome, were three totally different and utterly separate people. They all seemed to have different likes and dislikes, different wants and desires, and totally different moods.

There was the bitch that he met when he almost crashed into her, and then he met her again at the bar. Then, there was the professional, no nonsense woman that walked into his brother's office looking and acting like the definition of a businesswoman. And tonight, after a few drinks and some small talk, he'd finally met what he hoped was the real her. She was silly, made jokes, even if they were all at his expense, and even laughed with him, instead of at him.

Closing his eyes, he sighed lightly, still making sure not to move. Otherwise, he was sure he'd lose the warmth of her body next to him. _'I suppose that we are all at least three different personalities rolled into one.'_

He himself was two people or more, wasn't he? With Rin he was almost the perfect 'big brother.' With Sesshomaru and Nya, he was someone that was considered rather crude, rude, and…and, well, indifferent. With the children from the orphanage that he visited, he was all smiles and happy go lucky. When he was with Kikyo, he was the perfect picture of the forever-doting boyfriend turned fiancé. With Kagome…

His eyes snapped open. _'With Kagome? I'm not with Kagome. But around her… Around her I'm…I'm…'_ Inuyasha glanced down at her as she moaned slightly and nuzzled her head against his shoulder. _'I'm at ease. I don't know what it is about her or why, but… I'm at ease. It's like…'_

"Is that your wife?" a small voice inquired from in front of him.

Blinking, Inuyasha lifted his head ever so slightly as he brushed away his thoughts. He had been so consumed with Kagome that he hadn't even noticed that a kid was sitting in front of them. "No, she's not."

"Is she your girlfriend?" the little boy asked quietly, blushing profusely.

'_Why the hell is he so goddamn nosey?'_ he thought, but he had never been one to blatantly curse children, so he bit his tongue and shook his head in a negative fashion.

"Is she your mistress?" he queried, tilting his head from right to left and back again while staring at Kagome as if he was trying to memorize her facial structure. "My mommy always says that daddy has mistresses."

"Oi, where's your mom and dad? Shouldn't you be sleeping?" the hanyou blustered softly, trying not to wake up anyone around him and especially not the person lying beside him. Glancing at his watch, he finished, "It's four o'clock in the morning. Shouldn't you be sleeping rather than bothering 'adults'?"

"Shush," the little blonde haired, green-eyed boy retorted softly, glancing down at his side. "My daddy's sleeping."

Taken aback at being shushed by what couldn't have been a child any older than 5, Inuyasha growled annoyingly. _'Nosey little fucking brat!'_

Stacking his arms on top of the other, the little boy rested his chin on his forearms as if he was getting comfortable for the evening. "My name's Malcolm. What's yours?"

The hanyou groaned, but quipped, "Oi, didn't your parents tell you to never speak to strangers?"

"Yes, but I've known you…" he glanced down at his digital watch and finished, "…almost 10 hours or more. So you're not a stranger. Besides, if you kidnap me where would you go? We're on a plane, idiot."

'_Idiot? Why I oughta…'_ Glaring at the little boy, he hissed through clenched teeth, "You…" but was stopped by the child's next question.

"So, if she's not your wife, girlfriend, or your mistress, why are you taking her to Hawaii? Daddy say's that men only take women they sleep with to Hawaii."

'_Your daddy sounds like an ass, Kid.' _Seeing as how he wasn't going to be able to get rid of the little boy, Inuyasha sighed, "She's my friend, okay. Just…just don't tell her that."

Malcolm smiled and stared down at Kagome. "She's pretty…really pretty." He was quiet for a while, and then he continued, "Do you think she'd by my girlfriend?"

Inuyasha quirked an eyebrow and almost laughed out loud. "Runt, she's too old for you."

"No she's not. My daddy says that when I get older, older woman will pay plenty of money to play with me. So if she's older than me now, she'll pay a lot to play with me then, don't you think?"

'_What the hell kind of father does this little fucker have?'_ the hanyou thought in disbelief. The little boy was talking like he was going to grow up to be some kind of gigolo or something. _'Smart little fuck!' _

Kagome shifted on his arm and he froze as he stared down at her, forgetting for one moment that he had a tiny, smart-mouthed interloper watching his every move.

"You like her, don't you? I can tell by the way you look at her."

"You little shit!" Inuyasha huffed, throwing the fact that he was speaking to a child out the window. Glaring up at the little youngster that stared back at him with mischief apparent in his luminous green eyes, he finished, "Turn around and stay out of grown folks' business!"

The little boy snickered and turned around quickly, disappearing behind the seat that he'd previously been sitting in.

Glaring at the back of the little boy's chair, Inuyasha growled low once more. Why did that one statement irritate him so? Why did it make his heart do flips and his mind swim with images of her smile and sounds of her laughter? More importantly, why did it feel like a slap in the face?

He damn sure didn't like her, he just…he just… Damn it, he was just trying to show her that he wasn't the ass that she thought he was, that's all!

Kagome shifted, turning over to the opposite side of her chair and away from him, as if she could feel him rejecting her on a subconscious level. Looking down at her back, he scowled as he reached down and pulled the blanket that one of the flight attendants had given them earlier, up around her shoulders.

'_That little shit needs to mind his own fucking business!'_ he huffed. _'I don't want a damn thing from her. I just want…I just want to make the most of this fucking trip,'_ he half lied to himself. _'She's my colleague of sorts, that's all. Shit, we're not even friends,'_ he told himself as he reached down and pulled the blanket to cover the heel of her foot that was sticking out from beneath it.

Crossing his arms over his chest, he closed his eyes and grimaced as the sound of her laughter echoed within his mind once more. Forcing it away, he thought, _'We're just hesitant acquaintances and nothing more. Just because we held one fucking civilized conversation means absolutely nothing!' _

Frowning deeply, his eyes still closed, he decided quickly that this day had already been long enough. So, maybe he'd try to sleep away the next three hours until they got to Honolulu. There, they'd catch their connecting flight to Kapalua, Maui.

'_Little snot-nose bastard,'_ was his final thought as he drifted into a fitful sleep filled with reminders of a woman that he desperately didn't want to like.

**Until Next Time**…(Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated.)

Next Chapter: Small Insignificant Things

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_A/A/N: To everyone that's interested, I have created a new Yahoo Group, specifically for my readers to discuss with me and my beta's anything concerning my fics or just anything about Inu. There you will also receive exerts from upcoming chapters as well as recommended good reads and such. This isn't only for my fics, but if you would like a chance to promote your own fic you can. Once it's up and running we'll also have contest for writing as well as drawing and much, much more. Should you want to join here's the link: _Doggie (underscore)eared (underscore)nature (hyphen) subscribe (at) yahoogroups (dote)com 


	19. Small Insignificant Things

**A/N**: As Always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness, accept it. There's quite a bit of cursing, so beware. I won't make this long because you guys have waited long enough. However, I would like to share a bit of good news with you. This fic has been nominated for Best Serial and Best Inu/Kag Romance with the IYFanGuild, so you know what you have to do. To those of you that nominated it, thank you and to everyone else, VOTE!!

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**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, Malcolm, and Dr. Aikio. All others belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

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_**Chapter 19:**_

_**Small Insignificant Things**_

"Have you lost your goddamn mind?" Kagome ground out through clenched teeth as she peered over the marble countertop at the native Hawaiian woman, who stood there staring back at her with a tight smile on her face.

"Ma'am, please calm down," the woman stated softly as she typed something into the computer screen in front of her. "There is only one reservation, I assure you."

"Well, I assure you that that's a goddamn mistake! Now check again or, better yet, get your supervisor!"

She didn't mean to be so short and downright bitchy with the woman, but there was no possible way she was sharing a room with Takahashi Inuyasha. She'd just spent more than 10 hours on a plane with him and she'd be damned if she was going to be forced to spend any more time with him than absolutely necessary.

"Mrs. Takahashi-"

"It's Higurashi and I'm single, got that?" Kagome snapped, setting her purse down on the counter and shuffling through it for her cell phone.

Flipping it open, she quickly paged down until she found the number she was looking for and hit send.

"Ms. Higurashi, we have a Harley Davidson convention in town this weekend; there are no available rooms. When Mr. Takahashi made the reservation, he was advised of that. That's why he booked the two room presidential suite."

Kagome glared at her as the person on the other end of her cell picked up, his voice heavy with sleep. She knew that, in Japan, it was probably well into the night or rather early morning hours, but she didn't give a shit! "Takahashi Sesshomaru, what exactly do you think you're doing? Why is there only one room reserved for Inuyasha and myself? Surely you don't really expect me to stay-"

"I would advise you to watch your tone when you speak to me, Higurashi," Sesshomaru warned, cutting her off. "Furthermore, you are there to do a job, not socialize; what does it matter?"

Kagome was livid at this point. She was already irritated that their flight from Hawaii to Kapalua was two hours late-the flight itself, nerve-wrecking. It seemed like at any moment the damn plane was going to drop from the sky! Inuyasha, the prick that he was, seemed to be back to being the ass that she'd originally met! Then she tripped and almost fell on her ass as she exited the plane and that asshole had the nerve to laugh at her! Not to mention, some of her fucking luggage was missing! That being the case, she was just not in the mood to play these fucking games with another Takahashi prick!

"What does it matter?" she mimicked heatedly. "How dare you blackmail me into coming on this trip and then not have the civility to give me a private room?"

She could hear Sesshomaru growl before he replied, "As I've told you, this is business and nothing more. Good night, Higurashi. I'm sure you and Inuyasha will make use of the arrangements that I've set up for the both of you."

The phone went dead in her ear, and Kagome growled violently as she glared at the woman across the counter from her. _'That son of a bitch!'_

"Oi, what's the problem here? I could hear you cussing half-way across the lobby."

Kagome turned on Inuyasha. Had she been a demon, she was sure her fangs would have been bared to him. "Your asshole of a brother only booked one room, that's what's wrong! One goddamn room, Inuyasha!"

That was the first time she'd ever called him by his name so casually. Unfortunately, this would go unnoticed by both parties.

"What?" Inuyasha queried, not really understanding what the hell was going on.

"You… Me… One room, moron!"

Inuyasha stared from her to the woman across the counter, then at the crowd that was steadily gathering around them. "Here," he grunted, shoving a bag in her hand. Stepping up to the counter, he began, "What the hell is going on? Why is there only one room reserved?"

As the woman started to explain the situation to him, Kagome glanced down at the bag that he'd so unceremoniously shoved in her hand and her heart almost stopped.

'_That's why he sent me ahead of him? Is this why it took him so long to get here?'_

Staring down at the bag…her bag that the airlines had told her was misplaced-she found herself once again in awe of the man in front of her. He was now arguing with the manager that had stepped in for the frantic young lady that she'd already ripped to shreds verbally.

'_He stayed there to get my bag? I can't…I can't believe he did that.'_

"I don't give a shit what kind of conference you have in town. I want two fucking rooms and I want them now, damn it!" the hanyou hissed coldly.

It's not that he didn't want to share a room with Kagome; he just knew that nothing good could come from it and he really didn't want to put himself in that kind of predicament. "For all I care, you can stick some of these butt fuckers in a room together; just get me two goddamn rooms!"

"Sir, please, calm down," the manager pleaded empathetically. "The suite that was booked is a presidential suite with two large rooms on either side. I'm sure it is more than enough to accommodate you and your guest."

"Are we staying at the Hilton or the Ritz Carlton?" the hanyou asked rhetorically. "Because my money says Ritz Carlton!"

"Well sir-"

"Exactly! Now do what the fuck you have to do, but get me another room!"

Noticing that not only were the guest and employees gathering around them, but also the security guards, Kagome stepped forward and grasped Inuyasha's arm lightly. "Maybe, in show of good faith this slight, he will be more than happy to accommodate us in another way."

She only made that suggestion, because they hadn't been in Kapalua for more than two hours and already it seemed like the both of them were about to get locked up. Besides, if the room were as big as they were trying to say it was, maybe it would be fine as long as Inuyasha stayed out of her way.

"What?" Inuyasha queried, turning on her with his face set in a deep scowl.

Nodding backwards towards the security guards, Kagome reiterated, "Since they don't have any more rooms and I'm sure this is just a grievous mistake, he can accommodate us in some other kind of way. After all, I'm sure he'd hate for word to get out that he shunned Japan's most sought after business man and renowned attorney." The last part was directed towards the manager himself.

Inuyasha caught on almost too quickly. Turning back to the manager, he added, "We'll take the room for now, but you better do some powerful sucking up or your name and this hotel will be mud all across Japan! Got it?"

Quickly sliding two key cards with their room number written on them across the marble countertop, the manager nodded in agreement and replied, "Of course, Mr. Takahashi. I'll be up to see to your accommodations shortly, and I'll have the bag handlers bring your luggage up now."

Grabbing the keys off the countertop, Inuyasha turned and walked towards the elevators, his hand grasping Kagome's forearm and pulling her along behind him. As they stepped into the elevator, he let go of her and punched the button for the fifth floor.

Stepping back against the wall, he shoved his hands in his pockets and growled low, "That's why I didn't want to come on this fucking trip!"

Trying her damnedest not to look at him, Kagome offered evenly, "Well, blame your obnoxious brother. The lady at the desk said they told him that there was only one two-room suite available."

"That prick," Inuyasha scoffed as the elevator dinged and the doors opened. Slipping into the dimly lit hallway, his head turning from right to left looking for the room number, he growled, "When I get back to Tokyo, there are going to be some serious repercussions for this shit."

Following behind him, Kagome swallowed as she stared down at the bag in her hand. "Uhm, Inuyasha?"

Stopping at the door that read 588, he answered, without really paying attention, "Yeah?" as he punched in the code printed on the key card and watched the light flash from red to green as the door popped open.

"Thanks."

"For what?" he inquired, stepping into the room and dropping the key cards on the table nearest the door.

She hated having to swallow her pride and be civil to him because she really didn't feel like he deserved it. However, the fact remained that he had waited for over an hour at the airport for her bag when he didn't have to. Not only that, but from the beginning of the flight, at every turn and/or twist he was doing small things that she knew he probably wasn't even aware of that showed that he wasn't the ass that he wanted her to think he was.

"Thank you for getting my bag for me."

Inuyasha turned to look at her as she stood there with her head down, her hands clasped tightly around the bag in front of her. She looked humble, innocent, and naive even.

Turning away, he stared around what he figured was the living room then turned his attention to the door nearest to him, yet in the far left corner of the room. "Keh, don't sweat it," he replied nonchalantly as he shuffled towards the room. "Get some rest, we only have a few hours before we need to meet with those pricks."

Kagome watched him open and push the door shut behind him and suddenly she felt cold. Shuddering slightly, she turned her attention away from his door and stared around the room.

First, she noticed the mahogany hardwood flooring and then the plush golden colored loveseat and sofa that sat across from one another with a large glass coffee table in the middle. On the top of it was the most beautiful bouquet of flowers she'd ever seen. The walls were painted a light mauve color and a pair of beautiful heavy drapes hung over the full wall-length sliding glass doors that led to the balcony. She also noticed that the throw pillows on the couches matched the drapes perfectly and tied the entire room and its decorations together flawlessly.

Strolling slowly across the room that was easily as big as her kitchen and living room put together, Kagome found it almost impossible to look away from the turquoise ocean. It stared back at her over the lush green courtyard; filled with emerald green palm trees.

_Amazing,'_ she thought as she absently rested her palm against the warm glass as if she'd be able to touch the ocean itself. _Simply…amazing.'_

She had no idea that from the location of Inuyasha's room and because his door wasn't fully closed, he had a clear view of her and he was watching her every movement, methodically.

_Simply…amazing,'_ he thought, finding himself wondering exactly what it was that made her look so peaceful, so awe struck, so…so goddamn beautiful?

Kagome turned away from the view at that same moment, feeling someone's eyes boring into her back. Her hand still poised on the glass, she turned to find a shirtless hanyou standing there, his hair disheveled, his white linen shirt grasped tightly in his hand, and his jeans, though still belted, riding low on his hips, showing off just a few loose dark curls of his nether region.

_He has dark hair down there? Why does he have dark hair down there?'_ she thought absentmindedly.

Her eyes traveled back up over the shallow grooves of his abdomen that dipped low into the waist of his pants, accentuating the curls even more. They traveled up, over and across his hand-crafted looking stomach to his chest that hadn't an ounce of fat, to his powerful shoulders which were connected to two lean, yet well defined arms.

Kagome licked her lips slowly, her mouth parched. Why couldn't she look away? Why couldn't she stop her mind from memorizing every dip groove and bend of his muscles? Why couldn't she stop her eyes from moving up to his naturally pink lips then his stout nose and his eyes… Those golden mesmerizing eyes that were staring back at her with something…something that called to her, and yet it seemed so…so unattainable.

Inuyasha swallowed hard while telling himself to move, to stop gawking at her like this. To stop her from staring at him, but he couldn't even though he knew that this… What he was feeling, what she was feeling, just wasn't a good thing, no matter how much his youkai whispered her name or how enticingly compelling she looked. This… Whatever was happening between them, even if it was just on a primal level, was not a good thing.

'_I knew this was a bad idea, I fucking knew it!'_

Dropping his shirt to the floor, he forced himself to step towards the door, his eyes never leaving hers'. Resting one hand on the door jam, the other on the door, he stated softly as he watched her lick her lips and step back as if frightened, "Get some rest, Kagome."

Swallowing, she shook her head and forced herself to turn away from the now closed door. Heading towards the one room left, she thought, _What was that look in his eyes? Why did he look at me like that? It wasn't pity and it wasn't lust? He looked like a child staring through a pet store window at a puppy he could never have.'_

Opening and closing her door behind her, she set the bag that she'd picked up seconds before, down on the bench that sat at the foot of her king size bed and sighed. _Why did he look so…so broken? Why do I care? Why does a certain part of me want to figure it out?'_

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of knocking.

Stepping out of her room quickly, she pulled open the front door without even asking who it was.

Thankfully, it was only the bellman. "I have your bags, Ma'am."

Speaking as if in a daze, since her mind was still clogged with thoughts of the hanyou that hadn't even poked his head out the door to see what was going on, she directed, "Please…just…just leave them here. We'll get to them later, thank you."

Setting all five of the bags, three belonging to Kagome, near the couch, the bellman then stated, "The manager will be up shortly to inform you of your complimentary items; will you be needing anything else?"

Turning around to reach into her purse for some cash to tip him, she stopped as Inuyasha's door opened and he walked out still shirtless and still sexy as hell.

Walking over to the two humans that were now staring unabashedly at him, Inuyasha handed the guy a twenty and mumbled an incoherent thanks as he turned, picked his bags up, and disappeared back into his room, closing the door behind him.

'_Did he really come to get his bags or did he come out here to make sure he was the one to give the tip?'_

Securing the door behind the bellman, Kagome spared another moment to stare at Inuyasha's closed door. Her only coherent thought and one she couldn't believe she was entertaining was, _'I want to know more about him.'

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_

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

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"My god, this place is gorgeous," Kagome observed as she stared out at the darkening sky.

The sun, in its haste to set, had left streaks of orange and different shades of purples and reds across the sky that either dipped into the end of the ocean or came up out of it. She didn't know which it was for sure, but the refection that it left on the now dark sea in front of them was just beyond description.

It was quite honestly one of those sights that told you that there had to be a higher power involved because the hands of man or chance could not have done something like this.

Inuyasha glanced up from his menu and over at the sunset, but he didn't comment. Honestly, he hadn't had much to say at all after their little encounter in the room.

During the meeting that had ended an hour or so ago, he was obliged to let Kagome do the talking since it seemed that the men, especially that prick Weinstein, couldn't keep their fucking eyes off of her.

Once again, he had to admit that she'd definitely impressed him. She handled herself with the utmost tact and respect. She was even able to deal with Mr. Weinstein's advances in a professional manner, when he wanted nothing more than to bash the fucker's head in. It was like the stupid prick just wouldn't take no for an answer.

Why? Inuyasha hadn't a clue, but every time the son of a bitch talked about stealing Kagome away or when he begged her to go out for drinks and dancing with him, his hand would ball into a tightly clenched fist. By the end of the meeting, he'd done everything he could to just keep from reaching across the table and snapping the bastard's fucking neck. Even now, just thinking about it caused him to want to growl.

If that wasn't bad enough, he'd spent the last thirty minutes or so sitting across from her trying desperately to figure out why in the seven hells she was being so goddamn nice to him. Well, maybe nice wasn't the right word, but she wasn't bitchy either.

"Oi, do you know what you want?" he asked quietly without looking up at her. Honestly, when he'd asked her if she wanted to grab a bite to eat he hadn't expected her to say yes, but once again she surprised him.

"I'm not really hungry. I think I'll just have a salad."

Kagome had decided while getting dressed for the meeting that she was going to take Sango's advice and just mellow out for a change. She didn't want anything from Inuyasha and, as far as she knew, he didn't want anything from her. So what would it hurt if they were just cordial to one another? Besides, in a day and a half they would be back to their own personal lives, right?

"A salad?" the hanyou mimicked as if it was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard.

"Yes, I think I'll have the tropical salad with pineapples, tangerines, strawberries, sweet pecans, and sliced chicken breast topped with ranch dressing."

"Does saying that out loud make it sound any better to you?" the hanyou joked with a soft chuckle.

Kagome rolled her eyes and took a sip of the white wine that she'd ordered when they were first seated. Swallowing, she asked, "So what are you going to have?"

Deciding that he'd toy with her, Inuyasha replied, "I'm having the T-bone steak, medium rare, with just a touch of steak sauce, a dash of pepper and a sprinkle of salt." Looking down at the menu, he continued, "I think I'll also get the shredded mashed potatoes with butter and sour cream."

Kagome narrowed her eyes at him and replied teasingly, "Does saying that out loud make it sound any better?"

"Actually, yes, it does," the hanyou replied, setting the menu down and picking up his bottle of Red Stripe beer.

Both laughed, but as their laughter died out it was replaced by uncomfortable silence. They stared at one another, neither sure of just what to say to the other, but both having so much that they wanted to say…to know.

Inuyasha wanted to know why she was being so nice.

Kagome wanted to know what had happened in his past to make him such a prick at times. She wanted to know why he'd looked at her earlier as if she was just out of his reach. She wanted to know what was behind that million-dollar smile, and when he thought no one was watching, why did his eyes look so sad, so broken?

The hanyou would be the first to break the silence. Setting his beer down, he leaned forward and asked bluntly, "Cut the crap, Kagome. Why are you being so fucking nice? Are you planning on sneaking into my room tonight and stabbing me to death or something?"

She smiled mischievously as she replied with an eerie snicker, "I don't know. I just might, you never know."

"See what I mean!" Inuyasha blustered. "Don't do that shit! You're freaking me out!"

"What, be nice to you?"

Hearing her basically repeat his statement in the form of a question, the hanyou felt kind of stupid for having said that.

"You know, I'm not always bitchy. Besides, I only have a day and a half left on this beautiful island. I might as well make the most of it, even if it is with you," she spat the last part with just enough disdain for him to take notice.

Nodding approvingly, Inuyasha said cheerily, "Now that's the Kagome I know. Always the prolific bitch."

Narrowing her eyes at the hanyou, Kagome lifted her glass as if giving a toast. "To Inuyasha, the king of all pricks. May your days be miserable and your nights long and lonely."

Inuyasha smirked and shook his head in a negative fashion as he tried to hold in his laugh. _'Crazy ass bitch. Well, maybe she's not that crazy, but she's still one hell of a bitch,'_ he thought seriously.

"Are you ready to order?" a burly young man, clearly a native, queried with a polite smile.

"Yeah, she'll have the ranch dressing on her tropical chicken salad with everything on it and I'll have the steak with mashed potatoes, butter, and sour cream, " Inuyasha responded without giving it much thought, and then finished, "And another round of drinks as well."

As Kagome watched him order for her, she realized, and not for the first time, that perhaps underneath that hard, uncaring exterior, he hid a very caring, courtly man. If there wasn't, she was quite sure that he wouldn't have done any of the small things for her that he had, even if they were done with little thought and no ulterior motive.

'_Who are you really, Takahashi Inuyasha?'_

_**

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**_

Simonkal of Inuy

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"You aren't trying to get in my pants are you?" Inuyasha asked, trying to sound apprehensive and serious.

Kagome turned, a look of incredulity on her face. "I…you… In your dreams!" she blustered, her face turning as red as the t-shirt she'd changed into upon arriving back in their suite.

"Well, I don't know. Usually when a woman invites me to dinner, then back to her room, she wants something from me," the hanyou added, smirking from his seat next to her.

"Are you a complete idiot? Or are you really forgetting that you were the one that asked me to dinner? And this room belongs to both of us!"

Inuyasha chuckled as he leaned back in his lounger and ran his hand up and down his chest, over his stark white wife beater tee. "If it walks like a duck and quakes like a duck then-"

"It's an ass," Kagome interjected quickly, cutting him off.

Picking up the glass of wine that she'd been sipping on for the past thirty minutes, she turned away from him and stared out at the clear night sky and the soothing ocean before her. _'Always the ass, I see.'_

Once they'd returned to the room, she'd ordered up a bottle of wine and changed her clothes before venturing out onto the balcony, since she really didn't feel like going to bed yet. It wasn't long before Inuyasha joined her, which threw her off a little, but she decided quickly that there was nothing to it. They were roommates for the weekend; they'd have to spend some kind of time together.

Hence, they found themselves sitting side by side on the balcony at twelve o'clock at night staring off into oblivion and chatting about nonsense.

"I was actually starting to think that you were human," Kagome teased, her tone pouty.

"Heh, are you blind woman? I'm a hanyou, a half breed, a mutt, but definitely not a human." Rolling his eyes at her in a severely childish manner, he finished, "I should've known you were half way blind the night you almost hit me."

"You know what I mean and, for the record, that accident or almost accident was your fault!"

Inuyasha snorted lightly, ignoring the end of her statement. He knew exactly what she meant; he just didn't want to acknowledge it. She was starting to let down her guard. She was letting herself relax around him, possibly even opening herself up so that she could get to know him, the real him.

Why she would even consider doing such a foolish thing, he didn't quite understand, but he knew, deep down, that it was a mistake. A mistake he couldn't allow her to make.

Downing the beer that he'd been sipping on, Inuyasha warned, as he stood to his feet and stepped towards the banister, "Wherever I'm concerned, Kagome, don't get your hopes up."

In the past 24 hours, he'd realized that he did like her and could like her a lot if he allowed it, but he couldn't. He knew how it would end; he knew that the only possible way it could and would end was with heartbreak, hurt feelings, insults, and broken dishes. He couldn't…wouldn't allow that to happen, not again, not ever. For her sake as well as his.

Kagome stared at his back as he gripped the wrought iron bars. She couldn't understand what was going on. All before, in the garage at his office, on the plane, even in the hotel lobby, and at dinner, he was acting like he wanted her to let down her guard down. But now that she had, even if it was slightly, this is what she got?

"We're just reluctant colleagues, right? Not even friends, right?" Inuyasha questioned softly, calling her on her own words. The same words she'd practically shouted at him on the plane a little more than 24 hours ago.

"Well… Yeah… I…I guess… Uhm, sure," she agreed reluctantly, not exactly sure where he was going with this.

Turning, his eyes only meeting hers briefly, he finished, "Good. It's best that we keep it that way." He then walked through the open balcony doors and into his room, leaving a baffled young woman sitting there staring out at the sea, wondering what the hell had just happened and why.

**Until Next Time**…(Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated.)

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Next Chapter: London Bridge

**Excerpt**

_Inuyasha tried to hold her down with one hand, but he realized quite quickly that this little 5'5" woman who couldn't weigh anymore than 115 pounds was strong as hell. 'Damn it,' he thought, dropping the phone to the ground._

"_Kagome, stop! Stop!" the hanyou demanded, his persona darkening the more she struggled._

"_No! I'm tired of this! I'm tired of all of you assholes, just doing what you want whenever you want," she shouted, swinging at his face and connecting._

_Inuyasha growled, heatedly, "Alright, al-fucking-right! If this is the way you want it then fucking fine!" _


	20. London Bridge

**A/N**: As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness.

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**Disclaimer**: All characters belong to the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi, with the exception of Nya, Malcolm, and Dr. Aikio.

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**Chapter 20**:

_**London Bridge**_

The sound of waves crashing against the beach mixed with the sounds of what must have been a million and two squawking birds drew her from a peaceful sleep.

'_Just a little bit longer.'_

Kagome tried to pull the thick duvet coverlet up over her head, but it was too late; her eyes had already opened of their own accord.

'_All right, damn it! I'm up! Now what?'_

Pushing the covers down, so that they were barely covering her hips, she stretched her hands over her head and yawned as her back arched up off the bed and her feet tried to pull her legs away from her hips.

After staring around the room, she rolled on to her side and curled into a ball away from the window and the sunlight that, at this moment, she felt was being overly intrusive.

"I'm in Hawaii. I'm in Hawaii with Inuyasha," she whispered as if she was just realizing this for the first time.

Staring at her closed bedroom door, she couldn't stop the last words they'd spoken to one another from filtering through her mind.

**_Flashback_**

"_We're just reluctant colleagues, right? Not even friends, right?" Inuyasha questioned softly, calling her on her own words. The same words she'd practically shouted at him on the plane a little more than 24 hours ago._

"_Well… Yeah… I…I guess… Uhm, sure," she agreed reluctantly not exactly sure where he was going with this._

_Turning, his eyes only meeting hers briefly, he finished, "Good. It's best that we keep it that way," as he walked through the open balcony doors and into his room, leaving a baffled young woman sitting there staring out at the sea, wondering what the hell had just happened and why._

_**End Flashback**_

'_What did he mean by that?'_ she wondered. Just then something else he'd said came to mind. _"Where I'm concerned, Kagome, don't get your hopes up." _

Rolling onto her back, the baffled young woman continued to peruse her thoughts for an answer or at least a hint of what he was trying to tell her.

'_Why would he ask me if we're reluctant colleagues? Why would he pick that specific moment to ask me something like that when all before, he seemed more than eager to get me to let him in or at the very least be civil to him?'_

Staring up at the beautifully crafted ceiling, her mind continued replaying his words, "Go_od. It's best that we keep it that way."_ That thought caused a small part of her resolve to fracture slightly.

'_Good. It's best that we keep it that way?'_ she repeated…questioned, this time her thoughts tinged with anger. _'Does he think… Could he be thinking that I…'_

Sitting up abruptly, she growled low, "That bastard! He thinks…he thinks that I like him?"

Even if this was true on some level, she damn sure wasn't ready, willing, or able to face this truth just yet. And she damn sure didn't want him getting any goddamn ideas about it either!

Jumping out of bed, she charged towards the door, determined to make sure he understood that she didn't like him, didn't want to like him, and cursed the day she fucking met him!

'_How dare he assume such a thing? And then he has the audacity to speak on it as if he knows for sure that it's the truth,'_ she thought as she strode across the living room to his door, which was still closed.

She didn't care what time it was or if he was lying there snoring and drooling out the side of his mouth! She had something to say, and goddamn it, she was going to say it!

She refused to allow him to think that he had the upper hand! No, not even for a fraction of a fucking minute!

Raising her hand to knock, she quickly thought better of it and instead reached for the handle and turned.

Pushing the door open, she stepped into the room and snapped, her hands on her hips, "Inuyasha, I don't know who you think you are, but…

* * *

**_Simonkal of Inuy_**

* * *

The hanyou had been awake since before the sun had risen. Actually, he couldn't say for sure that he had even slept.

He remembered coming into his room after his talk with Kagome. He remembered stripping down to his bare essentials and crawling into the bed. He even remembered listening as she eventually passed his door, heading to her room, and then he was left with nothing but silence, darkness, and his own thoughts.

It was quite possible that he did sleep. He just couldn't remember it, but what he did remember was that his last thought was of her and his first thought this morning was once more of her.

After he'd left her sitting on the balcony, he told himself that this was for the best. There was no need to allow her to get to know him and vice versa.

He could tell by looking at her and the manner in which she carried herself that she wasn't the type of woman to play games. She wasn't the type that he could have a one-night stand with and then expect her to fade into the darkness as if 'they' had never happened. She, Higurashi Kagome, was not one of those women that would be happy with just a booty call every now and again. She wouldn't be okay with seeing him out with someone else. She…she would never have allowed him to treat her the way he'd treated his last conquest.

No, she was the type…the one that would want a relationship; she would want to be involved in every aspect of his life and she would expect him to do the same. She would want the Sunday afternoon dinners at Rin and Sesshomaru's house. She would insist that she attend any and all company functions with him. She would demand date nights and evenings where it was just the two of them. She'd want to know what he was thinking when he was quiet. She would want any and everything that a woman in love and in a committed relationship would want, and, honestly, he couldn't find anything wrong with that.

Had he not already known all of this, perhaps he would have had no problem stringing her along, toying with her feelings, making her fall in love with him, only to break her heart for her efforts.

He supposed that it would have been rather easy to get her to fall for him if he wanted. He'd only have to be nice, take her out to dinners, and whisper sweet words in her ears of promises for the future. He'd have to make himself available to her at all times, leaving her no room for doubt. And, just like that, she'd be his until he was ready to move on to the next one.

Inuyasha had never considered himself a player of any kind, but just like every other male out there, he knew how to play the game. And the things he didn't know, Kikyo taught him in a round about way.

He also knew how it felt to be toyed with. He knew how it felt to have your emotions twisted and pulled at someone else's whim. He knew first hand how it felt the moment you realized that your efforts, your loyalty, your love had been taken for granted. He knew, without wanting to know, how it felt when you finally learned that the one you loved with every fiber of your being didn't…had never, loved you back.

"_The woman for you is still out there. You just have to find her,"_ he heard Rin's words repeating in his mind.

That may have been true, but the problem was, did he really care anymore? Was he willing to step back out on that thin limb and place his heart in someone else's hands…someone else's care? Did he dare to even dream of finding someone that would be able to deal with the bullshit he would put her through?

His mind floated back to Kagome, the woman, who had drifted into his life like an apparition, hell bent of torturing him by forcing him to face his demons…his fears.

Perhaps, had he met her at another time…in another lifetime, things would have been different. Perhaps, had they met under normal circumstances…

His thoughts made no sense to him at the moment. If he had met her before Kikyo, he would have had no problem letting her in, but now… Damn, now it just didn't even make sense to think about it.

No, she hadn't admitted that she liked him, but he wasn't stupid. He knew what was bound to happen. Even though she hid beneath a thick coarse blanket of hatred and had an outer exterior covered in jagged pieces of glass, he knew that if he continued to taunt and tease her, to play with her, she'd crumble.

Not because she was weak, no, but because she was a woman and regardless of how strong or how weak she thought she was, they all wanted the same thing; someone to love and someone to love them back.

'_Does that mean that we can't at least be friends?'_ he asked himself. He laughed softly, feeling ridiculous for even thinking such a thing. _'Of course, men and women can't be friends. Someone will always start to get feelings for the other.'_

He wasn't necessarily saying that Kagome would fall for him. More than likely, if he were honest with himself, it would be him falling for her.

Inuyasha closed his eyes and sighed, trying to shut off his thoughts, but all it served to do was force him to focus his hearing on her room. He could hear her mumbling something, but he wasn't quite sure what that was.

Shifting so that his forearm was laying over his closed eyes, he groaned as he heard her door open.

'_Where the hell is she going?'_ he thought, but his thoughts were quickly interrupted by the sound of her pissed off voice resounding through his already cluttered mind.

"Inuyasha, I don't know who you think you are, but if you even think for a moment that I like you, you better think again! I only came on this trip because your bastard brother blackmailed me into it," she hissed, her hands grasping her hips. "All I was trying to do is be nice to your psychotic ass and you automatically assume I want more? Well just in case you're confused about something, let me make it clear! Once this trip is over, I hope I never have to see your face again! Do we have an understanding?"

The hanyou groaned as he shifted so that he was leaning up on his elbows, but still lying on his back. He started to speak, but stopped as his eyes locked on her curvaceous form.

Her hair was disheveled in the most erotic way, her face flushed with rage, her lips pouting teasingly. She stood there glaring at him, her hands on her hips drawing even more attention to the red bikini lace panties she wore, which hid absolutely nothing.

'_Brazilian, eh?'_ he thought, twisting his head slightly to the side as if it would give him a better look at her slit.

Swallowing, he allowed his eyes to roam up higher to the spaghetti strapped white and red striped tank top that read _Super Sucker_ across the front and situated perfectly between her two mounds.

'_Holy shit,'_ he thought as he tried to rewet his parched throat. Sure, she looked good in clothes but damn, damn, and double damn. She really needed to try going without them as much as humanly possible.

"Uhm, Ka…gome," he stuttered, his only intention to tell her she was showing him almost everything he knew she didn't want him to see.

"Don't…uhm, Kagome me, you bastard! Just answer the question!"

'_Does she know, she's half naked?'_ Staring at the woman, who was still staring down at him unwavering, Inuyasha grinned. He realized quickly that it was more probable that she'd been so pissed, for whatever the reason, that she didn't even pay attention to what she was wearing.

Instead of telling her right away, he figured he'd play along while enjoying the view.

"What the fuck is your problem? It's too early for this," he ground out, trying to sound annoyed as he reached onto the nightstand for his cell phone.

Shifting, Kagome crossed her arms beneath her full breasts and huffed, "My problem is you assuming that I want you!"

Inuyasha sat up, his phone in his hand, the coverlet falling into his lap, showing off his bare chest. "You're fucking nuts! I never said any such thing!"

Rolling her neck, she hissed, "Well you insinuated it, and that was enough, don't you think?"

Hitting the camera button on his phone, he kept it positioned on his lap as if he was just looking for a number, while he secretly adjusted the camera on her. After getting her image situated perfectly, he looked up at her and queried, "What the hell are you talking about? And I'm really tired of you accusing me of shit that I have nothing to do with!"

_Click, one picture taken._

"I'm talking about what you said last night, you buffoon! That little skit you put on before you so rudely left me sitting on the balcony by myself!"

"What skit? Stop beating around the damn bush and just spit it out already!"

_Click, another picture taken._

Her voice set as heavy as it would go, she tried to mimic him as best she could, her arms flailing out at her sides, "Wherever, I'm concerned, don't expect anything."

"I didn't-"

_Click, another picture taken._

"Yes, you did and I'm not finished," she hissed, cutting him off. "We're just reluctant colleagues, right? Not even friends, right?" she finished, her voice sounding like a man with a nasty dose of the flu.

Inuyasha was thankful that he had a top of the line cell because that meant she wouldn't hear the click of the camera and the resolution on the pictures would be awesome. Glancing down at the last picture he'd taken, he tried not to laugh since he'd caught her arms in mid flail, her breast bouncing up and down, and her face set in a deep scowl.

"Shit, you're the one that said you were just my reluctant colleague. I was just reminding you is all!"

_Click, another picture taken._

"I know what the hell I said, Inuyasha! I don't need you reminding me of it!" Stepping closer to the bed, she finished, "Just because I decide to take pity on your sad little ass and be nice to you, doesn't mean I want to fuck you, you know!"

Inuyasha was taken aback by the whip-like lash of her tongue, but quickly recovered. "What else can you do with that nasty little mouth of yours?" he asked, his voice husky.

_Click, another picture taken._

Kagome started to say something, but stopped. _'I know he did not just insinuate…'_ Glancing around the room for something to throw at his head, she hissed arrogantly, "As if you'd ever find out!"

Shrugging his shoulders, he replied nonchalantly, "You're probably not that good at it anyway."

That last statement was meant to hurt her pride and it did because the next thing he knew, he was dodging an ashtray that had just been thrown at his head.

"You obnoxious prick!"

Inuyasha sat up again, glaring at her. "Oi, if you hit me with anything, I swear to God you'll make it back to Tokyo in a body bag," he lied, knowing he'd never touch her or any other woman like that.

This statement was said to scare her because she had definitely scared the shit out of him.

_Click, another picture taken._

"Oh really? Is that a threat? Or a promise?" Kagome queried evenly while picking up a complimentary copy of Grey's Anatomy left by the hotel staff off the table nearest the door. "I bet you're such a fucking coward that you'd probably curl up into a ball and cry," she teased, hefting the large book at the hanyou, who leapt out of the bed, dropping the cell phone he'd been holding.

Thankfully, he was wearing a pair of black boxers, which Kagome, in her fit of rage, failed to notice.

"You're 31 fucking flavors of crazy," Inuyasha exclaimed, staring at the irate bitch, who was now staring quizzically down at the cell phone laying open on the bed. Realizing that he'd just been found out, he stated, "You need anger management bad! I see why that Akitoki fuck ditched your ass!"

Having always paid close attention to the things that people say, Kagome pointed two fingers in the hanyou's direction while stepping closer to the bed as she stared down at the camera, squinting.

"First, I never told you his name was Akitoki," she said calmly enough. Turning on him, her eyes blazing with rage, she pointed down at the cell phone as she queried through clenched teeth, "Second, why the hell do you have a picture of me on your fucking cell phone?" She couldn't see the photos well, but she knew they were of her.

Inuyasha froze. _'Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!'_ What was he supposed to say to that? How the hell was he supposed to pacify her enough that she didn't kill him? _'Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!'_

"I'm waiting," she hissed in a singsong, cryptic voice.

Noticing the she was mere inches from grabbing the phone, the hanyou dove on the bed, snatching it out of her reach, but that didn't stop Kagome one bit.

She dove on his back, trying to wrestle the phone out of his grasp. Inuyasha twisted away from her, knowing that she'd only get the phone if he allowed her to.

He noticed absently that her skin was scalding hot against his own. Her legs were now wrapped around his waist as her arms reached over and down the front of him, trying vainly to seize his arm that held the cell phone.

"How dare you snap pictures of me like that? Give them to me, Inuyasha!" she exclaimed, forgetting every ounce of decorum and etiquette that she'd been taught. "I could sue you for this shit, you know!"

Inuyasha tried to roll away from her, but she was like a slug clinging to the backside of his balls. Pushing back so that he was kneeling on the bed, he held his left hand, which held the infamous phone, out to the side while reaching behind him with his right and grasping her waist.

Tugging her off of him, he chuckled, "I knew you wanted to get into bed with me, but this is a little ridiculous, don't you think?"

The livid woman growled as she swung out furiously at his chest. "I don't want anything from you, you lech! Just give me the goddamn phone so I can break it!"

Inuyasha tried to hold her down with one hand, but he realized quite quickly that this little 5'5" woman who couldn't weigh anymore than 115 pounds was strong as hell. _'Damn it,'_ he thought, dropping the phone to the ground.

"Kagome, stop! Stop!" the hanyou demanded, his persona darkening the more she struggled.

"No! I'm tired of this! I'm tired of all of you assholes just doing what you want whenever you want," she shouted, swinging at his face and connecting.

Inuyasha growled, heatedly, "Alright, al-fucking-right! If this is the way you want it then fucking fine!" Grabbing her free hand out of mid air right before it connected with his cheek for the second time, he pinned both of them over her head with little effort. "You know you can't fucking beat me, Kagome! So just stop trying, damn it!"

She threw her body against his, trying to toss him off of her, but he was like a slab of cement, unmoving and set in its place. "You bastard! I hate you! I hate you," she screamed into his face. But it wasn't only his face that she was seeing.

She saw those iridescent blue eyes and that chivalrous grin. She heard his promised words of affection and a future that never came to be. She felt the pain all over again as if it was a knife ripping into her chest slowly. She could feel it, it was coming; like a faucet being turned on, it was coming, and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it.

"Join the fucking club, everyone hates me," he replied, feeling her kick up her knee, which he was sure was meant to connect with his groin.

It was only by the luck of the Gods that he was straddling her waist and not her knees.

"You're just like the rest of them! You make me sick!" she spat, her anger whipping out against him like a poisonous snake.

She knew, outside of the pictures he'd snapped of her, she had no real reason to be angry with him, but he was here! This…this one small thing was the straw the broke what little composure she had left. _'No! Gods, no! Not now! Not here!'_

Inuyasha heard the words she screamed at him, but somewhere deep down he knew that it wasn't him she was yelling at. These words of hatred were meant mostly for someone that had hurt her in her past.

As sad as it was, he understood that more than she'd ever know.

Tears came to her eyes as her flailing died down and her limbs grew weak. "You…I…I hate you. I…I… Why did you have to be like him? I…Oh Gods…" she sobbed as the pair of golden eyes that stared back down at her with compassion turned to clear blue.

Inuyasha's heart began to beat rapidly the moment he smelled the first tear fall from her eyes.

'_No… She can't be… Not Kagome!'_

Why did this make him want to help her? Why did he want to heal…to help her heal? What… Why was this woman in his life? Why was she here in his bed weeping for a lost love? Why, of all the women in the world, did it have to be her that refused to leave him be?

"Kagome, please… Don't…don't do that. Don't…don't cry," he stuttered as he watched her facade shatter right before him.

What in seven hells was he supposed to do now? He could deal with the violent, belligerent Kagome, but this…what she was doing-left him feeling more than a little handicapped.

She heard him, but she could do nothing to stop the tears as her body shook violently, releasing everything that she'd held back. She hated doing this, opening up in front of a man that she didn't know and wasn't sure she wanted to know, but she couldn't help it…she couldn't stop it. She needed-desperately needed--to find true release.

She'd put up a strong front. She'd hidden her pain from all of her friends and family, he was sure, so why…why would she break down now? Why would she… Why would her soul choose now to break down? Why now and why with him?

Inuyasha didn't know what else to do as she continued to cry, her face turned away from him, her body quaking…trembling beneath him. She looked like an orphaned child, abandoned and left out in the cold. He wanted to…needed to shelter her somehow.

'_She's…she's as damaged as I am, if not more'_, he observed inwardly while trying not to shrink away from her. Her pain was a volatile thing with a life, mind and aura of its own. It reached out to him, spoke to him, and humbled him.

Releasing her hands, he pulled her to his chest and held her there. "I'm sorry, Kagome. I'm so sorry, please stop crying. Just…just stop crying. I promise I'll delete the pictures. Please, just stop…stop crying," he begged as he gently cradled her head to his chest while rubbing her back soothingly.

Her arms encircled him, partially pushing him away and somewhat holding him in place. She wanted to stop crying, she really did, but the tears just kept coming.

Her nails dug into the skin of his back as another dose of Kouga's lies filtered through her head and the distraught woman crumpled once more, unable to do much more than that.

Inuyasha closed his eyes, his head lulling back as he held her tight to his bare chest. Staring up at the ceiling, he silently begged the Gods above to do something to make this better for her. No one, absolutely no one should have to suffer like she was.

'_Tell me who hurt you, Kagome. Just tell me, I'll make this right, I promise. All you have to do is tell me," _he silently vowed, not understanding the actual depth of his promise. He felt her tighten her hold on him and he returned the embrace.

As her sobbing died down to mere sniffles, the hanyou began to release her, but not before he asked, "You…you…okay?"

She nodded into his chest and tightened her hold on him. "Please don't."

"Huh?" he queried, confused by her request.

Sniffling, she responded, "I'm pa…pathetic, I don't want you to see me like this."

Inuyasha chuckled and said, in hopes of lightening the mood, "You were 'pathetic' before all this happened. So, don't worry about it."

She was quiet for a moment as if she needed to gather what was left of her pride…her ego. _'I'm so fucking pathetic! How could I do that in front of him? How could I break down like that and in front of Takahashi Inuyasha of all people? Fuck,'_ she thought, silently berating herself.

Hoping to change the subject, Kagome asked softly, "Inuyasha, how did you know my date's name was Akitoki?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he lied guiltily, releasing her quickly.

Wiping her nose with the back of her hand, she quipped accusingly, while trying to regain at least some of her bravado, "Sure, you don't."

"I sure don't and you're disgusting," he teased, knocking her hand away from her runny nose.

His goal was to make her laugh at least once before they parted ways for the day. For some reason, he didn't' want her to regret opening up in front of him like she had and he really didn't want her to go into her room, or get back to Tokyo and feel regret. That could possibly lead to her hating him even more and not because of something he did, but because of what he'd been privy to.

Kagome laughed softly and swatted his chest. "I still don't like you."

"That's fine with me, but I know you don't hate me either," he replied staring down at her, a serious expression on his face.

Kagome was quiet for moment before she looked up at him, her eyes red and swollen. Licking her lips, she intoned softly, "No, I don't hate you, but I really, really want to."

Staring back into her eyes, Inuyasha responded seriously, "The feeling's mutual, believe me."

The two allowed a few moments of uncomfortable silence to pass between them before Kagome looked away shyly.

Climbing out of his bed, she slowly made her way over to the door before she turned and asked, "Inuyasha, is there any chance that we can forget this ever happened? You know, I do have a reputation to uphold."

Settling back on the bed, he stared at her, finding it hard to believe that she still hadn't realized that she was practically naked. "Not on your life, my friend."

"So I'm your friend now?" she questioned with a smirk.

"After that little display you just put on, there's no way we could go back to just being 'reluctant colleagues.'"

"Damn," she whispered with a smile, trying to sound upset as she turned and left his room. Apparently, she'd forgotten about the pictures as well.

Leaning down to pick up his cell, Inuyasha burst out laughing when he heard her let out a shriek that could rip the paint off of the walls.

'_I guess she just realized what she was wearing; or rather a lack there of,'_ he thought with a chuckle as he flipped casually through the pictures, deciding which ones he'd actually keep and which ones he'd delete.

After all, he did promise her, didn't he?

Until Next Time…(Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated!)


	21. Good Intentions

**A/N:** As always alll characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, Dr. Aikio, and Malcolm. All others belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

* * *

**_Chapter 21_**

_**Good Intentions**_

Kagome tightened the sash of her robe as she strutted through the hotel lobby, her head held high, her shoulders back. She'd just finished taking advantage of one of their complimentary spa treatments and was feeling absolutely wonderful.

She'd asked Inuyasha if he wanted to come with her… Well, not with her, but more like-if he was going to take advantage of the spa treatment, but he scoffed at her and told her that was bitch stuff, besides he needed to make a few calls. So, she ended up leaving him in the room. That was about 3 hours ago.

'_He probably had to call his girlfriend,'_ she thought absently as she stopped at one of the gift shops. Spotting a cheesy looking aloha doll on one of the shelves, she mused, _'I guess I should take home some gifts for my family and Sango and maybe grab something for me to remember this trip by.'_

Realizing that she didn't have any cash on her, she walked up to the counter, and queried to the elderly woman behind it, "Can I charge purchases to my room? I seem to have left my cash upstairs."

Smiling up at her, she replied, "Of course, just give me your room number."

"It's 588."

The woman punched something into the register and looked up with a smile, "Are you Mrs. Takahashi?"

"No, I'm Higurashi Kagome," she retorted, frowning slightly.

"Ah, there you are. I see you have full access to this account," the woman avowed more to herself than to Kagome. "Okay, you're all done. Just bring whatever you want up here and I'll bill it to the room for you."

"Great," Kagome replied, turning away from the counter.

The store wasn't any bigger than a convenient store, but she had to admit that it did have a lot of neat little gifts. As she walked around the store picking up little trinkets here and there and putting them back down, she couldn't stop her mind from wandering back to Inuyasha and her breakdown.

The entire time that she was trying to relax during her massage, she kept telling herself that he wouldn't judge her or look at her any differently. After all, she was only human, right?

Still, every time, she replayed the scene in her mind, she felt even more stupid than she felt while she was lying there beneath him crying her eyes out.

'_I can't believe I did that! I can't believe that I let him see me like that,'_ she thought, stopping to pick up a beautifully hand-crafted music box that doubled as a jewelry box.

It had a beautiful, vivid picture of a Bird of Paradise painted on the top and was made of rubber wood, lined perfectly in red felt, and done in a cherry finish. The thing was beautiful; actually, stunning and elegant. It reminded her of her mother.

'_She would adore this,'_ Kagome thought, shoving it under her arm for safekeeping.

Sighing, she continued down the isle as her thoughts picked up right where they'd left off. _'Is he going to start treating me differently? Is he going to run home and tell his brother and Rin that I broke down…that I actually cried in front of him?'_

She didn't have any answers for any of these questions, so she could only hope that he wouldn't and if he did… If he did, she realized that there wasn't really a damn thing she could do about it. What was done was done. It couldn't be taken back and it damn sure couldn't get any worse than it already was.

'_Way to go, Kagome. Nice way to let him know that you're really fucking crazy. I can't believe I actually slapped him!'_

Stopping, she turned her head slightly to the side as she stared down at a beautiful wooden Koa Ukulele.

"Didn't Souta say he wanted to learn to play the guitar?" she questioned herself. Reaching down, she picked up the lovely replica. Turning it around, she couldn't help but smile because she knew the first thing he'd say when he saw it would be, _"Hey sis, don't you know what a guitar looks like?"_

Holding the ukulele in her hand, she proceeded down the isle, her mind jumping back to the golden-eyed hanyou.

'_I can't believe he actually let me slap him. Well, he didn't let me, but he didn't…'_ her thoughts stopped as she quickly replayed the things that she'd shouted at him in her head. "Damn, I'm an idiot," she hissed. _'How can I expect him to look at me as anything other than a quack?'_

Heading up the other isle, she called out, "Ma'am, could you please come here for a moment!"

Bending down, she pulled a large naturally rimmed acacia bowl off the shelf. Staring at it as she turned it over and over in her hand, she couldn't help but to see it sitting somewhere in her condo as some form of decoration.

"Yes, did you need something?" the woman asked quietly.

"Yes, could you take these up to the counter for me?" Kagome queried rhetorically as she passed the objects she was holding to the woman. "And I'm going to need two of these large bowls and two of the smaller ones as well."

Smiling from ear to ear, the woman, replied, "Of course," as she took the things that Kagome offered her.

"Now, I need something for Grandpa and Sango," she said softly while shaking her arms out to loosen them.

'_Maybe, I should get something for Inuyasha too. Something that says, I'm not a moron, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't think I was insane.'_

She quickly thought better of that. _'No, not a good idea, Kagome, if you buy him a gift then he'll really think you like him.'_

Staring down at a medium sized acacia wood box with a sliding cover and velvet inlay, she finished, _'That wouldn't be good at all, would it?'_

Picking up the box, she took immediate notice of how smooth and cool the wood was against her fingertips.

'_Grandpa would really like this. He could keep some of those, as he says, priceless trinkets in here.' _Holding the box in her hand, she continued on down the isle

'_Okay, something for Sango and I'm done.' _

Walking quickly down the next two isles, she stopped on an isle with nothing but glass knick-knacks and what-knots. Walking over to the sections holding only sea creatures, she picked up a beautiful figurine with three dolphins interlaced in a circle.

Staring at the object, she could've sworn that she remembered somewhere either hearing or reading that dolphins meant fertility or longevity or something to that effect. Deciding quickly that it really didn't matter because it was still beautiful, Kagome turned and made her way towards the counter with the glass figurine in her hand.

Setting her items down, she stated, "I want you to add this to it."

"Of course. If you would like, I can have this sent up to your room for you."

"Really? That would be great, thanks."

After ringing up the last two items, the older woman stated, "Your total is 657 dollars and 57 cents. However, we will be charging it to the room so you don't owe me anything."

'_Wow maybe I should've checked the prices,' _she thought turning and heading towards the door, a slight frown on her face.

Shrugging her shoulders, her frown quickly turned into a smile. _'That's right Sesshomaru is paying for this. Maybe I should've gotten some more stuff,'_ she thought with a smirk as she hit the button for the elevator.

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

"You did this shit on purpose, didn't you?" Inuyasha challenged, leaning back against the sofa, his feet propped up on the coffee table.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," his brother responded mildly.

"There you go again with that selective memory shit," the hanyou snapped, annoyed that Sesshomaru was playing coy with him.

After Kagome had left some 3 hours and thirty minutes ago, he'd made a call to Nya and kind of just lolly-gagged around the room doing nothing until he remembered that he needed to curse this brother out for this little set up of his.

"Bullshit! You knew that we were going to be staying in the same goddamn room! You could've warned us, or at least me, you bastard!"

Inuyasha could hear his brother switch the phone to his opposite ear before he explained, "I still haven't a clue as to what you're talking about. I wasn't the one that made the reservation. Jakken did, using my name."

Inuyasha growled. It was quite possible that Sesshomaru was telling the truth, but he was so good at hiding his true intentions that it could have also been a blatant lie as well.

"I assume that the meeting went well and all the papers have been signed?" Sesshomaru asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah…yeah, it went fine."

"Well that's all that matters, right?"

Realizing that this was a losing battle, the hanyou huffed, "Whatever, you're still the biggest bastard I know."

"And you're still a half breed."

"Feh, fuck you. Put my wife on the phone," he blurted, his only intention to piss off Sesshomaru.

"I don't know why I didn't drown you when you born," Sesshomaru quipped nonchalantly.

Before Inuyasha could respond, he heard his brother say something to the woman in question, but he couldn't quite discern exactly what it was.

"Hi lover," Rin sang into the phone, her voice as chipper as it always was.

Inuyasha sat forward, a grin on his face that spread from ear to ear. "Hey yourself." He knew that his brother was probably standing there glaring at Rin with something akin to disdain on his face; that thought alone caused him to smile even more. "How you doing?"

"I'm fine. I wish you were here though because I wanted to get out of the house to go do a little bit of shopping and this husband of mine won't even let me leave the bedroom!"

Inuyasha heard his brother in the background saying, _"You're supposed to be on bed rest. How does shopping equate with bed rest?"_ He then heard Rin shift the phone and shout, _"Get out! You're making me feel like a prisoner in my home!"_

"Oi, calm down, don't let him get to you. Besides, you are supposed to be on-"

"Don't tell me that you're siding with him too?" Rin snapped irritably, cutting him off.

"I thought you wanted us to get along?" he retorted with a chuckle.

"Yeah, but not at the expense of my freedom! I can't believe you're actually agreeing with him, Inuyasha!"

Realizing that she was serious, he added quickly, "It's not like that. I just happen to believe that your health comes first."

He heard her growl and, if he didn't know any better, he would've sworn that she was an Inu youkai bitch.

"I've been cooped up in this for damn house for months! I just…I just want…" she stuttered, her voice heavy with emotion.

Inuyasha groaned, knowing that she was either already crying or about to start crying. "Rin?"

"I…I just want my husband to understand that I'm not a paraplegic, I'm pregnant, just pregnant!"

The hanyou heard his brother say something to her, but, whatever it was, it only served to make her cry harder.

"Rin, don't do that," Inuyasha pleaded softly while standing up and walking over to the balcony doors. "You're not supposed to be leaking while you're pregnant. Come on now, you're stronger than this."

He could hear her sniffle before she agreed, "I know that, but…but I'm only human, Inuyasha. I can only be held prisoner for so long!" He was more than sure that that last part was screamed directly for Sesshomaru's purposes.

The hanyou couldn't believe that her mood had changed so quickly. Not even three minutes ago, she'd answered the phone sounding as happy as a punk with a bag of dicks and now she was practically crying her goddamn eyes out simply because she wanted to go shopping.

Sighing heavily, he caved-just like he always did when it came to her. "Look, I'll be back in town tomorrow afternoon, okay. If you still want to get out, I'll come by and get you. And maybe we can go to dinner or a movie or something. You know I hate shopping, but if you'll stop crying, I'll even take you to the mall."

She sniffled softly, "You promise?"

"I promise, just stop crying and quit letting that asshole upset you like that."

Rin giggled weakly and replied, "He's not an asshole. He's my husband and your brother." She was quiet for a minute before she finished, "I know he's just worried about me and I'm glad for that, but he can be so damn stubborn sometimes."

Inuyasha heard the door opening behind him, but he didn't have to turn to know that it was his roommate. Hell, he could smell her sweet enticing scent before she even crested the door.

"So, how are the babies? How was your last doctor's appointment?" he questioned.

"It was fine. They said that since I'm carrying twins, I may not be able to carry them to term. Therefore, the babies could come at anytime."

He was listening to Rin, but he also couldn't help listening in for Kagome's movements as well, which were somewhere near the wet bar that stood in the far corner of the room.

"Well, don't pop until I get there. I have to be there to name those runts."

Rin laughed, knowing he was just joking, since it was a well-known fact that Sesshomaru would be naming his first-born sons. "I wouldn't dream of it."

"You better not," he quipped turning from the window to stare at the woman who was quietly making herself something to drink. "Anyway, I'll call when I touchdown tomorrow so you'll know when to start getting dressed."

"Okay, and tell Kagome hi and thanks for doing this for me."

"I will."

"Alright, bye, Inuyasha, and I love you."

That wasn't the first time that she'd said that to him. She actually said it every time they talked over the phone or whenever they were saying goodbye.

Blushing, he replied quickly, "Yeah, love you to."

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

When she'd walked into the room, Kagome didn't know what she expected to find, but Inuyasha, barefoot, in a black tank top and a pair of loose fitting, hip-hugging jeans caused her breath to catch in her throat.

Staring at his back, she quickly noticed that he was talking on the phone.

She knew without knowing that it was a woman he was talking to because of the soft manner in which he spoke.

The gaping woman felt divided. One part of her knew she ought to go into her room and pretend like she hadn't noticed and didn't care because she had no ties to him, but the nosey part told her to hang around in the room a little longer.

She heard him say something about babies and doctors and her heart stopped in her chest as her hand clutched the glass she was filling with bottled water.

'Babies? He's a father? Is his…Is his girlfriend pregnant or does he have a wife?'

She didn't know why this made her heart palpitate and her blood pressure rise, but it did.

Kagome tried replaying in her mind every conversation that they had had and she found nothing that he had said that told her that he was in a relationship with anyone in any kind of way.

'If he wasn't, then why would he say he wanted to be there? Be where? The delivery room?'

Suddenly she felt like she had made a grievous mistake by remaining in the room with him and eavesdropping on his phone call. She had no right to be jealous or to even question anything he said or did because she didn't want to be with him like that, right?

However, that didn't stop a certain part of her from wanting to use the glass in her hand as a projectile, aimed directly at his head.

Taking a quick sip of the water she'd just poured, Kagome almost choked when she heard what sounded like him making plans to see whoever it was as soon as he got back to Tokyo.

'_I don't have any reason to be jealous! He's not my man! I'm not sleeping with him and I don't want to sleep with him,'_ she told herself as she tried unsuccessfully to dull the pain of finding out that perhaps he really did have a significant other.

Setting the glass down, she reached over to pick up the half empty bottle, but froze when she heard him say, _"I love you too"._ Kagome gasped and tried to hide her shock, but she knew it was too late because when she glanced at him, he was standing there, the phone gone from his ear, staring at her with a questioning look on his face.

'_He loves her?'_ she thought.

Feeling his eyes boring into the side of her head, she turned away and walked towards her room, but stopped when he spoke to her.

"Oi, how was your massage?"

Unable to look at him, she responded, "It was fine." Doing her damnedest to hide all emotion, she finished, "You should've come. I'm sure it would've relaxed you."

Strolling slowly towards her, Inuyasha noticed she seemed a little uneasy about something, he just didn't know what. "I already told you that stuff is for punks and bitches."

"Whatever, it's your loss."

Sitting down on the couch that he'd vacated moments earlier, Inuyasha smiled mischievously. "Now if you wanted to give _me_ a massage that would be a whole other story."

"Please, why don't you have your girlfriend give you one," Kagome snapped, hating herself the moment those words fell from her lips. She knew it made her sound jealous and downright nuts, but it was too late to take it back.

Leaning back against the couch, he rolled his eyes at her and responded with a dry, "Feh."

"Anyway, I'm going to take a shower and a nap," she stated quietly, still feeling stupid for saying anything about his personal life.

"You know that our flight is leaves at 4 A.M., right?"

Stopping, her hand on the knob of her room door, she retorted, "Yeah, and?"

Frowning, Inuyasha finished, "And I was wondering if you wanted to grab something to eat. Maybe do a little bar hopping. Doesn't make much sense to try to sleep, now does it?"

"Excuse me?"

There was a knock at the door.

Standing to his feet, Inuyasha added off-handedly, "Oh and Rin said to tell you hi and thanks, or something like that."

Watching him open the door, Kagome asked quizzically, "When did you speak to her?"

"Just got off the phone with her," he replied quickly, turning his attention to the man at the door holding several bags in his hands. "What the hell is this?"

"I was told to bring this up. Miss. Higurashi purchased these and had them charged to the room."

"What the-"

Kagome cut him off, "Bring them in here please." Going back to their previous conversation, she queried uneasily, knowing that she was probably treading on thin ice, "You just hung up with her? You mean while I was in the room?"

Watching the man pass him with the bags, Inuyasha replied, "Yeah, who did you think I was talking to?"

Kagome didn't want to answer that, but her mouth moved of its own accord, "Your…girlfriend."

"Sir, could you please sign this," the bellmen queried, stepping in between the two.

"Girlfriend? Who in the hell told you I had a girlfriend?" Inuyasha asked, taking the clipboard from the guy and scribbling his signature across the bottom. Glancing down at the total, he snapped, "657.00? Kagome, what the hell did you buy?"

Looking through the bags now sitting on the couch, she replied absently, "I just assumed that-"

Shutting the door, Inuyasha turned on her. "Stop fucking assuming where I'm concerned, damn it!"

If he hated anything, he hated when people assumed he would do something or that he had something. Shit, why couldn't they just ask if they wanted to know so fucking bad?

"Well, excuse me," Kagome exclaimed, relived that he would so willing offer that little tidbit of information to her. It eased her mind, as much as she hated to admit it.

Stepping up to her, he carelessly pulled open one of the bags. "What the hell did you buy?"

"Gifts for my family and a friend of mine. Sesshomaru told me that I could buy whatever I wanted to."

Pulling out what looked like a fat guitar, Inuyasha turned on her. "I know the hell you didn't use my money to buy a gift for some fucking guy?"

"And if I did, so what?"

She knew she hadn't, but she was more inclined to let him think what he wanted to, not realizing that he could've easily done the same thing to her a few seconds ago.

"Oh really? Well, what if I just threw this fucking thing off the balcony? What would you do then, huh?"

"I would go buy another one. After all, it is 'your' money. And how do you know that's the one that I bought for a guy?"

"I didn't know, but you just told me," Inuyasha snapped, walking over to the balcony with the ukulele in his hand.

"What do you think you're doing, you baka?"

Sliding the door open, he replied calmly enough, "Saving you from making a huge mistake, psycho."

"What?"

"You should never buy a man a gift. Especially if he makes you cry the way you were crying this morning."

Kagome was stunned and impressed all at once. Stunned because he actually was planning on tossing the Ukulele over the banister, and impressed because he was really taking this friendship thing seriously. At least, that's what it seemed like to her.

"Didn't you just say not to assume? Well, how do you get to assume that that gift is for the same guy?" She didn't realize just how much information she'd just given him.

Inuyasha scoffed and rolled his eyes, but didn't reply.

Realizing that he was really about to toss the guitar, Kagome shouted as she ran behind him, "Inuyasha, wait! It's not for a guy, it's…it's a gift for my younger brother!"

Holding his hand out over the edge of the banister, the wooden guitar dangling haphazardly between his fingers, he questioned, "How do I know you're not lying to me?"

Narrowing her eyes, she snapped, "Well how do I know you were really talking to Rin on the phone and not to one of your bitches?"

One eyebrow quirked higher than the other, Inuyasha grinned. "You thought… You… You were jealous," he quipped in a singsong tone.

Stepping back, Kagome squirmed slightly and looked away from him, her arms crossed beneath her breast. She'd let too much slip out. "Don't be silly!"

Walking up to her so that he was a breath away, Inuyasha leaned in; one hand pressed firmly against the wall on the left side of her head, while the other one fingered the loose folds of her robe. "You're so transparent, I can see right through you."

Kagome's breath hitched in her throat for the second time that day. Was he just teasing her or was she really that easy to read? "Inuyasha?" she gasped, her hand coming up to push lightly against his chest.

Holding his position close to her ear, he closed his eyes and inhaled her scent as he let his hand drop down to the ties the held her robe closed. Inserting one of his clawed fingers behind the sash, he tugged slightly, ripping it. "Be careful Kagome, I'm not a little boy that you can play games with," he whispered, leaning in just a little closer. "One day you like me, the next you don't." Clucking his tongue softly in her ear, he finished, "Don't cross that line with me, you won't be able to handle it."

Her legs almost gave out from under her as her robe started to open. _'He's… Oh my god, he's… He's…he's close.'_ Clutching it so that it would stay closed, Kagome pushed against him weakly and hissed with as much bravado as she could muster, "Go to hell! I'm not a child, Inuyasha," as she reached down and picked up the ukulele from the spot where, he'd set it. Staring at him, she finished, "And how many times do I have to tell you, I don't want you!"

He didn't know why he felt the need to test her, but he could tell by the way her scent spiked and the rapid increase of her heartbeat that he was dead on. Maybe she didn't want him in a relationship type of way, but she definitely wanted him just the same, regardless of the gibberish that spewed freely from her inviting mouth.

Licking his lips, the hanyou stepped back and stared down at her, an arrogant yet sad smirk on his face. "If you say so, but you have been warned."

She immediately became defensive, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," he replied mildly with a shrug of his shoulders. "So, are you going to get changed so we can head out?"

Kagome stumbled slightly as she hurried away from him and towards her room. Reaching for the door, she hissed silently, _'Damn he's an obnoxious prick!' _

**Until Next Time**…(Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated)

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A/A/N: One more Hawaiian chapter to go and we're back in the land of the rising sun, my friends.


	22. Prelude to Pandemonium

**A/N**: As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness. Remember this is two separate time zones; one is happening in the day (Japan), the other at night (Hawaii). Before I get to the bad news I want to tell you all thanks for your wonderful support and reviews. I also want to thank everyone, personally, that nominated this fic and my other fic for an award. Heart's Landfill didn't win anything, but Confrontations II did win 2nd place Best Romance Other for Sesshomaru/Rin. Anyway, it was wonderful just being nominated. Thank you. Now for the bad news; my laptop died on me. Yes, it went kaput, kicked the bucket, refuses to boot, the whole shebang!! That being said, I have no clue as to when the next chapter is going to be out. For those of you reading Conf II, I was half way through the next chapter, so that's lost on the laptop as well. I'm currently working on getting a new one, but we all know that money does not grow on trees. Perhaps Santa will bring me one for Christmas. (Don't laugh! If I believe in Inuyasha, why can't I believe in Santa?) Once again, Thank you all for your support!!

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, Dr. Aikio, and Malcolm. All others belong to the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi.

* * *

**Chapter 22**:

**_Prelude to Pandemonium_**

"That had to be the best cheese cake I've ever eaten!" Kagome proclaimed, rubbing her belly through the black halter-top, knee length dress she wore.

Inuyasha grinned, amazed that she had actually eaten a full four-course meal. Sitting back in his chair, he took a sip of his amaretto sour and stated, "The more I'm around you, the more I'm realizing that you have the genes of a disgusting pig."

Kagome laughed and glared at him, but she didn't reply right away.

At first she was going to try to not talk to him at all, but she realized quickly that that would take just a little too much energy. Besides, how would that help her get into his head?

As they sat down to dinner, she realized that even though she had screamed at him on several occasions that she wanted nothing to do with him, it was a very real possibility that she wanted, at the very least, a friendship with him. But, in order to get there, she would have to stop being a bitch towards him and actually act human for a change.

Rolling her eyes, she picked up her glass as she turned the topic away from her piggy ways and towards him and his whorish tendencies, "You know that was really inappropriate of you today."

Setting his glass down, he queried, "What was?"

"That little show you put on, on the balcony. You know, ripping my robe sash, walking up on me… The whole thing; it was inappropriate and you owe me an apology."

Inuyasha laughed. "Inappropriate? Hell, I've been trying to tell you from the beginning that there isn't a damn thing appropriate about me. You just refuse to listen."

Taking a slow sip of her white wine, Kagome pursed her lips and retorted, "I think that's what you want me to believe, so you go out of your way to act like an obnoxious prick. But you're not. If you were, you wouldn't have consoled me this morning."

Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "You're an ugly crier, that's the only reason why I consoled you. Besides, do you have any idea what kind bill I would've had to pay had I allowed you to peel the paint off the walls with that sickening screech of yours?"

"See what I mean? You're always going out of your way to seem like an ass, which means that you're not because a real ass wouldn't have to try so hard."

Inuyasha chuckled as he stared at her, trying to figure out where she was taking this conversation. Leaning forward, his elbows on the table, he balanced his head in his hands as if she was saying the most interesting thing he'd ever heard. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop trying to figure me out?"

"Well, if you would stop acting like such a jerk all the time and just be human, I wouldn't-"

"I already told you, woman, I'm not human. I'm hanyou," he quipped, cutting her off. "I think you should try remembering that."

"All right, whatever," Kagome replied. "For tonight, I won't be a bitch if you won't be an ass. Let's just be Inuyasha and Kagome; no more, no less."

One eyebrow quirked higher than the other, he mimicked, "Just Inuyasha and Kagome, eh?"

"Yep, we've been stuck together for almost three whole days now, and it seems that the gods are refusing to let us go our separate ways anytime soon, so we might as well at least act civilized and try to learn something about the other, right?"

"What makes you think I want to know anything else about you?"

Keeping her face peaceable, she responded, "Well, you're half human and humans are naturally inquisitive creatures. Therefore, even though you won't admit it, I know you're intrigued by me."

"I know that you have the patience of a rattle snake, I know that you have the temper of a Tasmanian devil, and I know that you're nowhere near as strong as you'd like me to think you are." Inuyasha smirked, sitting back again, his lips set in a thin line. "I'd say that I know enough about you. So that leads me to one conclusion: you're the one intrigued by me and this whole little peaceable act you're putting on is aimed at getting into my head."

Kagome blushed at being found out, but didn't respond.

Staring at her, he sighed in defeat and asked, hoping to merely humor her, "So what makes you, you, Higurashi Kagome?"

"Huh? What makes me, me?" she mimicked, a befuddled look on her face.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "You wanted to do this, so answer the question."

Frowning, Kagome replied, "I don't really understand the question."

"If you were in an interview, what would you say if your potential employer asked you that question?"

Kagome thought that over for a moment as she took another sip of her wine. "Well, I would probably say my family makes me, me."

"Okay, so tell me about your family."

Scrunching up her face, Kagome stared at him, unsure of whether he really wanted to know or if he was just trying to humor her. Deciding quickly that whatever it was, this was a step in the right direction, she began, "Well, my family and I are from Kyoto. We own and live on a shrine that dates back more than 500 years."

"A shrine?" Inuyasha queried.

"Yeah, my Grand-dad says that it was built back during the Warring States Era." Kagome smiled softly as she continued, "When I was little he'd tell me and my brother bedtime stories about demons fighting over a jewel called the Shikon."

One eyebrow raised higher than the other, Inuyasha murmured, "Oh?"

"Yeah, Souta and I use to love hearing his stories…until he started telling us the same ones over and over again."

Tapping his claw against the rim of his glass, he stared at her as she spoke. Her face was so peaceful, so serene. It was like her entire aura had changed. "Tell me about your mother and father. What were they like?"

"My father…" she stopped, a sad expression on her face. "My father was killed when I was 7." Glancing up at Inuyasha, she added quickly, "And you better not get all sympathetic with me."

Inuyasha scoffed, "I wouldn't dream of it."

Rolling her eyes, Kagome continued, "Anyway, he was the chief of the Kyoto Police Department. One night he came home and one of the guys he'd locked up was waiting on the steps for him. Long story short, he killed my dad and left him there for me to find in the morning."

"Damn," the hanyou whispered leaning forward. "Did they ever find who did it?"

"Yeah, it was some low life burglar. Last I heard he was still in jail." Before she could continue, their waiter interrupted.

"Do either of you need a refill?"

"Yeah," Inuyasha responded, pushing his empty glass towards the young man. "And leave the bottle of wine."

"Do you really think I'm going to drink all of that?" Kagome queried, eyeing the young native as he walked away from the table.

"Well, whatever you don't drink, they'll just pawn off to the next couple. Anyway, we were talking about your family. Please, continue," he stated, totally intrigued by her story.

"Well, what's left? I have one brother, Souta, who's seventeen. He goes to Shijunson Prestige in Kyoto," she stated proudly. "He was an annoying little shit growing up, but now he's just… He's a man now." Kagome smiled as she continued, "My mom said that he has a girlfriend now and she thinks they're having sex."

Inuyasha laughed. "Well, I'd have to agree that does make him a man, now doesn't it?"

Kagome rolled her eyes at him, playfully this time. "That's just it. When I left home to move to Tokyo, less than a year ago, I don't remember leaving behind a seventeen year old. I remember a little 10 year-old that followed me around everywhere."

"Being the youngest of two brothers, I'd have to say that that's what's wrong with you older siblings. You never see us younger brothers as anything other than kids," Inuyasha offered.

"Here are your drinks," the waiter stated, setting Inuyasha's glass down in front of them, then refilling Kagome's glass and setting the half full bottle of Pinot Grigio on the table nearest Inuyasha.

After taking a quick sip of her wine, Kagome defended, "Well, if little brothers weren't so goddamn annoying, we'd be able to see them as something other than pests."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Inuyasha quipped, taking a long sip of his drink.

"Enough about me and my family, tell me about yours," Kagome said quickly.

"You didn't tell me about your mother," the hanyou replied quickly, really not wanting to delve into his life.

"We can save that for another time. So tell me Takahashi, what makes you, you? Tell me about your family."

"Inuyasha frowned. "My family? What's there to tell?"

Kagome thought over his question, before replying, "Tell me the same things I told you. Tell me about your mother and father. How many siblings do you have?"

Inuyasha stared at her, not really wanting to tell her anything, but knowing he honestly owed her that much. After all, she had just spilled her guts about her own family, hadn't she?

"No, I don't have any siblings other than Sesshomaru."

"I was wondering about something," Kagome stated evenly, "You and Sesshomaru are blood brothers, right?"

"Unfortunately, yes, we are."

"Well, how's that possible? You're a hanyou and he's a full demon?"

Inuyasha snorted dryly. Rubbing his chin, he began, "You see, Sesshomaru's mom was a full demon and mine's a human."

"I know that much, idiot. But how is that possible? I thought that demons only got to choose one mate. How did your dad do it? How did he get two mates?" Kagome asked sitting forward.

"Actually, he didn't get two mates. He had a wife and a mate," the hanyou stated in a matter of fact tone.

Kagome stared at him skeptically. "I hope you know that you're going to have to explain that one. I've always been told that a youkai can only have one mate in his lifetime. How is it that your father got two?"

"Like I just told you, he didn't get two. His marriage to Sesshomaru's mom was for business purposes. Basically, his youkai side never chose her. Therefore, she is known as his wife. Once she died and he continued to live on, he realized that even though he did love her, his soul had never fully accepted her."

Leaning forward, Kagome confirmed, "I see. So, your mother was his chosen mate then?"

"Yeah," he responded softly, looking away from her.

"Are they still together?"

"You could say that," Inuyasha replied cryptically.

'_What does he mean by 'You could say that?'_ she thought.

"You see," he began slowly. "My mom died in a car accident about five years ago and my father died of a broken heart 6 months later."

"Oh god, Inuyasha, I'm so sorry to hear that," Kagome whispered compassionately.

"It's no big deal. It's not like it happened last month or something," he replied, trying to sound like it didn't bother him one bit.

Kagome knew from experience that a child never got over the loss of their parent(s). It didn't matter if the deaths happened 2, 10, or 15 years ago. When one's parent(s) died it was like a piece of you died along with them. Reaching across the table, she squeezed his hand reassuringly.

Inuyasha glanced over at her, his expression blank. Glancing down at her soft hand that was lying on top of his, he looked back up at her and started to chuckle. "And you told me not to get sympathetic; look at you."

Pulling her hand back, Kagome blushed. "I'm…I'm sorry. I just-"

Inuyasha knew she was being sincere, but he had no desire to become emotional with her. So instead, he laughed and joked, cutting her off, "You're such an emotional wimp. You really have to stop wearing your feelings on your sleeve. You'll get hurt like that, you know?"

Turning her head away from him, Kagome crossed her arms under her breast and pushed out her lips in a pouting manner. She did her best to look upset, but the harder she tried, the more he laughed, causing her to begin to laugh as well. "I really hate you. You do know that, don't you?" she avowed in between giggles.

"No you don't," Inuyasha replied, his laughter dying out totally. Staring at her, her face flushed, her eyes shining, he found it entirely too hard to look a way. _'Beautiful,'_ he thought with a soft snort. "Come on, we should head back up to the hotel so that we can start packing," he stated, glancing down at his watch, which read 10 p.m.

They had been sitting there for three hours, believe it or not.

"Uhm, okay," Kagome agreed, standing to her feet. Wrapping her shawl around her shoulders to protect herself from the night air, she watched quietly as the hanyou dropped a few bills on the table and proceeded towards the door. Following a few steps behind him, she thought, 'I_ really had a nice time tonight. There wasn't any arguing. He didn't try to grope me and I was myself. I didn't have to pretend. I don't feel like I have to pretend with him. When we get back to Tokyo… I wonder…'_

Stepping out of the door and stopping next to him as he lit his cigarette, Kagome's thought continued, _'When we get back to Tokyo, I want to see him again. I want to… I want to know you, Takahashi Inuyasha. What harm will it do if we're just friends?'_

Taking a slow drag of his nicotine stick, Inuyasha blew it out slowly, allowing large white smoke rings to filter into the night sky. "Damn this is going to be a long flight." Turning, he started on the short trek back to the hotel as he finished, "The next time Sesshomaru asks you to go on one of these trips, you make sure you tell his ass no."

"Yeah, okay," Kagome agreed, not really listening to him. "Inuyasha?" she queried, unable to stop herself as she strolled slowly beside him, her shawl wrapped tightly around her.

"Kagome?" he teased playfully, one hand shoved deep within his pocket, the other holding his cigarette.

"Uhm…uhmm…"

Inuyasha glanced over at her. "What's on your mind?"

Kagome swallowed. _'It doesn't mean a thing if I ask him, but what if he says no. What if he says…'_

Inuyasha let out another puff of smoke as he eyed her curiously.

"When we get back to Tokyo…" she started, but stopped. "When we get back to Tokyo do you think…" she faltered, swallowed her words and decided quickly that maybe this was a bad idea.

"You want to see me again, is that what you're trying to say?" he offered with ease.

"Not…not like that, but as friends, you know?" she corrected quickly, hoping that she wasn't sounding like a complete moron.

Inuyasha glanced over at her, their eyes meeting briefly before she looked away nervously.

He wanted to tell her no, they couldn't continue this friendship when they got back to Tokyo because it would only confuse things, but he couldn't. He knew that no matter how much he denied it, something about her spoke to him. There was something about her that made him forget his troubles…Kikyo. There was something about her that made him feel, needed, comfortable, and at peace with the world around him.

Noticing that he wasn't giving her an answer she stated, "Never mind," as she began walking faster, so that she was ahead of him. "Forget I said anything. It would probably be best if we just go back to the way things were."

Watching her hips sway, he stated with a hesitant smirk, "Were you standing behind the door when the gods were giving out patience?" Not waiting on a reply, he continued, "I think you and I continuing this friendship could do you some good. After all, who's going to stop you from making a complete fool of yourself?"

Kagome smiled to herself, but didn't turn to look at him or acknowledge that she was listening. _'Asshole,'_ she thought, her smile quickly turning into a relieved grin.

* * *

**_Simonkal of Inuy_**

* * *

Hiking his book bag up on his shoulder, the 5'11", slender built young man sighed, relieved to be done with yet another school day.

He had an exam in math, a paper due in writing, and a speech to perform in his Introduction to business class. He'd never tell anyone that he thought he was as smart as his lawyer sister, but he did make good enough grades in elementary school to land one of the top ten spots at one of Japan's best and most prestigious private high schools. Ironically, this was the current reason for his weariness.

Souta not only took all advanced classes, but he attended school seven days a week. There was never a day that he didn't have homework or an extra credit assignment that took him to some museum, research lab, or plant to examine some idiotic thing that he had no interest in. Quite honestly, the school was kicking his Japanese born ass!

_'Just a few more months to graduation,'_ he thought._ 'Then I'm off to college, to do it all over again, fuck!'_

All he wanted to do was practice his guitar, hang out with a couple of his friends, or catch a movie with his girlfriend, but with all the exams and just average everyday bull-shit, he had little time to even sleep.

Sighing heavily, he pushed open the gates that separated the school from the outside world and began to step onto the sidewalk, but stopped as a sweet voice called out his name. Turning, he smiled at the American born neko youkai named Nola.

"Oi," he greeted.

"Oi yourself! Why didn't you wait for me?" she queried, coming to an abrupt stop in front of him.

Scratching the back of his head since he really couldn't remember telling her that he'd wait for her today, Souta replied, "I'm sorry, I guess I was just distracted. Today has been the day from hell."

Stepping closer to him, so that her breasts were touching his chest, Nola purred while leaning in, "If you're stressed, I know something that can help you relieve it."

The young man grinned sheepishly at his girlfriend. She stood about 5'5" tall with fiery red hair and an hourglass figure. She had five of the cutest little freckles he'd ever seen running across her high cheekbones, the sexiest slender shaped black diamond positioned beautifully in the center of her forehead, and dimples that melted his heart whenever she smiled at him.

They had met a week after Kagome had left for Tokyo. The first time they went out on a date, she told him that he was her mate and that demons only had one mate, which meant she could never love another. Of course, he though she was absolutely nuts. At least until, he fell head over heels in love with her on their second date.

Snaking his arm around her shoulder, he replied, a blush staining his cheeks, "Were you always this bad?"

Stealing a chaste kiss, she quipped, her emerald green eyes glistening with mischief, "Only since I met you."

Pulling her to him, he inhaled her sweet perfume, and then sighed once more. "I'm sorry, I can't."

Nola pulled away, her face set in a deep scowl. "Why? It's been weeks, you know?"

"Don't you think I know that? But, between studying for my exams and helping my Gramps out around the shrine, I don't have time," Souta offered apologetically.

Crossing her arms beneath her breasts, Nola poked out her lips in a pouting manner. "Well, I still feel neglected!"

Pulling her to him once more, Souta stated softly, "I know and I'm sorry, but you did say you wanted a huge house on a hill with a massive backyard and to get that I need an education, right?" Kissing her forehead, he continued, "And my Gramps is getting up in age; the old man can't do everything himself.

Grinning up at him, her red locks blowing in the light breeze, she giggled, "Are you saying that you agree that we're-"

Souta cut her off with a soft kiss. Pulling away, he stared down into her eyes as he replied, cutting her off, "Just be patient with me, okay? I promise you, as soon as these exams are over, we're going to do something real special."

"Promise?"

"Yes, I promise, but only if you stop giving me a hard time."

Snaking her arm around his waist, she turned and began walking with him out the gate. "Well can I at least come over? I haven't seen your mother in forever."

"She'd like that. Ever since Kagome's been gone, she's been practically begging for female company," Souta teased as he eyed a black

Mercedes Benz with pitch black tinted windows sitting near the corner.

"Speaking of your sister, when do I get to meet her?" Nola queried, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"Mom says she's in Hawaii on business right now, but she's supposed to be coming home soon."

"Hawaii? What's she doing in Hawaii?"

"I don't really know, but it's probably business. All she does is work."

Nola was quiet for minute as they neared the corner. She didn't notice the way Souta's eyes were trained on the car. "Can we honeymoon in Hawaii?"

Souta was caught off guard, but quickly recovered. "What makes you think I'm going to ask you to marry me?" he joked.

Pinching his side lightly, she teased, "You're my mate, idiot! Who else are you going to marry?"

Souta chuckled, but stopped when the passenger door to the Mercedes swung open.

"Yo!"

Squinting at the person whose face he couldn't clearly make out, but whose voice sounded a little too familiar, Souta stopped, his arms still wrapped around Nola's waist. "Are you talking to me?"

"Who else would I be talking to?" the man quipped, stepping onto the sidewalk.

Taking a step towards the man, Souta growled as if he were a dog, and then questioned irritably, "Kouga? What the fuck… What are you doing here?"

Souta had tolerated the wolf youkai while he was dating Kagome, but honestly he'd never liked him. He was just too slick, almost slimy, if that made any sense.

The young man wasn't sure what had happened between Kouga and his sister, but he knew whatever had happened had changed his once loving and happy sister forever.

He'd heard his mother talking to her over the phone a few times about whatever happened, but they never went into any real details. She was always telling Kagome that it was time to move on and that she knew what Kouga did wasn't right, but she had to let it go and start living again. Honestly, he didn't need to know much more than that. Even though he was younger than his sister, he still felt a fierce need to protect her.

"I never knew you had such a mouth on you," Kouga replied with a grin, his iridescent blue eyes glistening. "I was in the neighborhood and remembered you went to school here."

Not willing to take the wolf's word for it, Souta hissed, "Yeah right! Even when you were dating Kagome, you never came by here. So cut the shit, what do you want?"

Nola stepped up grabbing, Souta's forearm. "Who is he? I…I don't like him," she whispered softly, hoping that the wolf demon hadn't heard her. There was something wrong with his aura; it was tainted, twisted somehow.

"That's your chick?" Kouga inquired rhetorically. "You're just like your sister, eh? Got to have a taste of the youkai."

Souta kissed his tongue against the backs of his teeth. "Whatever, man."

The wolf youkai chuckled and leaned back casually against the side of the Benz. "So what's up? What have you been up to? How's your sister doing?"

It was Souta's turn to laugh. "So that's what you want. You're fucking insane, you know that?"

Grabbing Nola's arm, Souta started down the street again murmuring incoherently about sons of bitches and stinking conniving wolves. Not wanting to stop at the corner, but knowing he didn't have a choice, Souta tried not to turn and look behind him as he pulled Nola so that she was standing on the far side of him away from where Kouga's car was parked.

"Look, I didn't come here to argue with you. I just want to know if Kagome is okay," Kouga stated honestly, grabbing the boy's arm.

Turning around angrily, Souta snapped, his rage unlike anything he'd ever felt before, "It's been months and you pick now to just pop up?" The boy laughed derisively as he continued, "Well if you must know, she's happy alright! She's…fucking…happy! She doesn't cry any fucking more, Kouga! She doesn't sit around the house moping and hoping that your sorry ass will call!"

Stepping closer to the wolf demon, he persisted, "She not a fucking walking zombie anymore, Kouga! My sister, Kagome, the woman you broke…" Forgetting that the demon before him could have easily torn him asunder without batting an eyelash, the young man stepped forward so that he was nose to nose with the youkai. "I don't know what you did to her or how you did it, but you tore my fucking sister apart! 'You' stay the fuck away from her!"

Stepping back, Kouga licked his lips and tried to rein in the frazzled tentacles of his aura. "Alright, I deserved that. So, she's happy?"

Souta grunted, feeling Nola slip her soft hands around his bicep, instantly calming him. "Yes, she's happy and she'll continue to be happy as long as you stay the fuck away from her."

Staring at the young man as if he needed a moment to think about what to say next, Kouga shoved his hands in his pockets. "She's not in Kyoto. Where is she?" he asked, mildly. "Why did she leave?"

"Wherever she is, I hope you never fucking find her," Souta snapped. Turning on his heels, he stomped across the street, his girlfriend trotting closely behind him. "That fucker must be out of his fucking mind if he thinks I would ever tell him anything about Kagome," he mumbled angrily.

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

Balling up his fists tightly, Kouga watched the boy disappear across the street. Had he been anyone else, he would have used him as a fucking punching bag to get the information he needed, but he was her brother, he'd never be able to explain that one.

'_Little shit'_, he thought heatedly as he climbed back into the passenger seat of his car. As the remnants of Kagome; her scent, her smile, her laughter, the feel of her body pressed against his, and the smell of her tears jumped to life within his already frazzled mind, he stated softly, "Let's go."

Having heard the conversation, Hakkaku queried, "So what do you want to do now?"

"She's not in Kyoto. Have Ginta check all the major law firms in Japan. And if she's not registered with any of them, have him check with every fucking law firm on the face of the planet. Just find her, damn it!"

Pulling slowly out into the street, Hakkaku glanced skeptically at Kouga as he dialed his brother's number with his free hand. His best friend and boss of sorts had been like this for months. It was like he was a man blinded by desire. He was obsessed with that which he could not have. He didn't understand what Kouga was feeling and he didn't want to understand it because in his mind it was asinine.

When he had Kagome all to himself, he chose to woo the daughter of the head of the Kyoto syndicate. Kouga wanted power; he wanted to move up through the ranks of the syndicate as fast as he could and with little effort. Therefore, he pretended to love Ayame, he pretended that his youkai had chosen her, but he knew better…they all knew better.

Then, there was the night that Ayame caught the two of them in bed together. Kouga could have easily chosen that time to speak the truth, but instead, he cowered like a dog, begging Ayame to forgive him and saying that Kagome was nothing to him. He lied to himself, to Ayame, and to Kagome.

Knowing all that, Hakkaku couldn't come up with one good reason why they were hunting Kagome down like this. Sure, Kouga said he loved her, but what exactly did he think would happen once he found her? Did he really think that she would take him back? Did he think that they would actually pick up where they left off? Was he forgetting that he was a married man? Regardless of whether he thought Ayame was his mate or not, he was married and, for all intents and purposes, mated.

"Are you going home to Ayame this weekend?" Hakkaku asked, trying to break the tension and bring some sense of reality back into Kouga's mind.

"Yeah," he responded dourly.

"Ginta, Kouga wants you to check all of the law firms in Japan. And If you don't find anything there, fan out into other countries," the younger wolf youkai ordered into his cell and to his twin brother. "Yeah, okay, call me," he finished closing the phone quickly.

"Kouga, you should call Ayame. You know she worries when you're gone too long."

"Yeah, I know," he replied, pushing his thoughts of Kagome to the back of his mind. "When Ginta finds Kagome, I want you to book a trip for Ayame and her sister to go away…far away from here for a month or so, okay?" he finished, closing his eyes and laying his head back against the headrest.

Shaking his head in a negative manner, Hakkaku agreed, "Sure boss, whatever you say." Truth be told, he pitied his friend, who was buried so deep within his own little fantasy world that he couldn't see the sun through the rays that were Kagome.

**Until Next Time: (Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated)

* * *

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**Next Chapter: Letting Go Graciously**


	23. Letting Go Graciously

**A/N**: As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness. Thank you all for being patient with me. I still haven't gotten a new laptop. Santa's fat ass has always been a big disappointment to me!! This year I think I'm going to take a page from Riley's book and pop a cap in his ass! (If you watch Boondocks, you know what I'm talking about) Anyway, I just couldn't let another month go by without an update. I hope you all had a safe and happy holiday and I wish you all a prosperous New Year!! I would also like to thank Neko and the kitchen elf for all of their help!!

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**Disclaimer**: I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, Dr. Aikio, and Malcolm. The rest belong to the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi and whoever else.

* * *

**Chapter 23:**

_**Letting Go Graciously**_

'_What the hell am I doing?'_

He blinked, bit down on his bottom lip, but didn't move from the position he'd been holding for the past 2 hours since he'd left his office. He knew he was probably going to get read the riot act from his brother because he'd walked out on a meeting, but he couldn't focus on anything if it didn't begin with Kagome and end with Higurashi.

It was like she was invading every orifice of his mind--his life. She was the last thing he thought about at night and the first thing he thought about in the morning. Whenever he felt backed into a corner or his dark thoughts of Kikyo surfaced, he unknowingly sought refuge in the few memories he had with her, Kagome, his enigma.

The hanyou sighed heavily, and kicked up his feet, so that they were lying over the opposite end of the couch. Staring up at the ceiling, he blinked and silently prayed for the millionth time that it would cave in on him and end his misery.

'_Why the hell can't I stop thinking about her? Why can't I stop wanting to see her? Shit!!'_

He was laying on his couch, his button down light blue shirt un-tucked, his dark blue pinstriped slacks, unfastened, and one light brown Italian shoe dangling from his foot.

'_Two weeks… So, I don't owe her anything! We're not in a relationship! If she wanted to talk to me, she could've easily gotten my number from Rin or Sesshomaru!' _

That's how long it had been since they'd come back from Hawaii, since he'd walked her to her door and told her that he'd talk to her later. That's how long it had been since she'd smiled hesitantly at him, her eyes telling him that she didn't believe he'd call or do anything of the sort. That's how long he'd been kicking himself for not picking up the phone and calling her the next day to invite her to lunch or dinner or for a boring ass walk!

'_What the hell would I say to her now? She'd probably just hang the phone up in my ear!'_

Inuyasha had never been the scary type, but something about Kagome got to him. It gave him butterflies, made his heart flutter, and made him nervous. Quite honestly, it made him feel like he was a 6 year old, who was having his first schoolyard crush. He just wanted to run up to her and shove her down to let her know that he liked her.

Inuyasha sat up abruptly, shook his head and stared ahead at the dark 70' inch flat screen television that sat on the wall before him. _'I don't like her like that. I…I…just want to talk to her, to make sure she isn't making an ass of herself,' _he lied

Staring down at the peach colored piece of paper with ten digits scribbled elegantly across it, he smiled softly. He'd gotten her number from her by lying and telling her that he needed it for the file at the office. Of course, she should have known that they, well at least Sesshomaru and Rin, already had it, but she gave it to him without question or hesitation.

Picking up the paper gently so that it was pinched carefully between his forefinger and thumb, he thought, _'So what if she hangs the phone up. At least I can say that I called, right? Besides, wasn't she the one that said she wanted to see me again? If I call, I'll be doing her a favor, right?'_

Pulling his cell out of his pocket, he flipped it open and stared down at the peach colored piece of paper as if at any moment it was going to tell him he was doing the right thing or either the most idiotic thing any one person had done in their life time.

It said nothing, so he began to slowly dial her number.

0

'_I can do this. It's just a fucking phone call, that's all!'_

4

'_She'll probably be happy to hear from me. Who the fuck am I kidding; the bitch is probably happy I haven't called her!'_

9

'_Why in the fuck does she have to have so many numbers?'_

9

'_You're half way there. You can do this; Pop didn't raise no fucking cowards.'_

2

'_With my luck, the bitch probably won't even answer her fucking phone. Or she'll act like she doesn't know who the hell I am.'_

6

_If she doesn't answer that's good because then I can leave a message and she'll have to call me back.'_

8 – 5

'_Two more to go.'_

8

'_Don't answer the phone, don't answer the phone, don't answer the phone,'_ he chanted as he quickly punched in the final number.

5

His heart was racing, his palms sweaty, he swore he could taste the bitter disgusting bile from his stomach as it rose up into the back of his mouth, and his head was spinning, causing him to see double.

Standing to his feet swiftly, Inuyasha stared down at the phone clutched tightly with in his grasp. He wasn't sure if the call was connected or in the process of being connected, but in that moment-that one half of a split second, his body went numb…completely numb, his mind stopped spinning, thinking-it went completely blank. Flipping the phone closed quickly, he tossed it across the room as if it had burned him somehow.

Sitting down, the hanyou exhaled a breath he wasn't aware he was holding. Staring down at his sweaty palms, he mumbled in disbelief, "She turning me into a pathetic moron. Look at me; I'm sweating like a pig right before he's taken to the fucking slaughter house."

The trill of his cell that now lay on the floor on the opposite side of the room broke his melodramatic thoughts. '_She's calling back! Shit, she's calling back!'_

Standing quickly to his feet again, Inuyasha practically jumped the short distance between him and the electronic device.

'_Did I hang up in her face? If I did, how in the hell am I going to explain that one?'_ Picking up the phone that was laying face down, his thoughts continued_, 'I'll tell her I dialed her number by accident! Yeah, that's what I'll tell her!'_

The insistent trill continued, causing his blood pressure to rise higher as he inhaled, trying desperately to calm himself so that he wouldn't let on that he was frazzled in anyway.

His eyes closed as if he wanted to savor this moment. Shoving one hand in his pocket as he flipped the device open with the other, he then placed it to his ear without looking at the caller id.

"Takahashi here," he avowed, his voice dropping more than a few octaves.

The other end of the phone was quiet.

Inuyasha waited another moment, thinking that maybe she was just nervous. "Speak now or forever hold your peace," he stated his tone light and welcoming.

"Sorry about that," a soft feminine voice stated quietly into the phone. "May I speak with Takahashi-san?"

Not recognizing the voice at all, Inuyasha blurted rudely, "Who in the hell is this and how did you get my number?"

"Is this Takahashi-san?"

"Not if you're trying to sell me something! Now, who in the hell is this?" he snapped again, totally irritated that it wasn't the one person he desperately wanted to speak to.

The woman was quiet for a moment, and then she giggled softly, sensually. "Your reputation precedes you, Takahashi-san."

"What?" Taking the phone from his ear, he stared down at it as if it would allow him to see straight through to the other side.

"Your reputation precedes you. She told me that you were rude and downright abrasive, but I didn't believe her."

"She? She who?" he queried not really caring, because it damn sure couldn't be Kagome; she would never stoop to such childish tactics to get his attention.

Ignoring his question, she continued, "However, she forgot to mention how sexy you sound."

Inuyasha was thankful that he was in the confines of his own home and alone because the blush that crept over his face was the color of brazen red in its rarest form. After taking a moment to regain his composure, he lowered his voice again and spoke slowly into the phone, "Look, I'm not going to ask you again. State your business or I'm hanging up."

He heard the woman muffle the phone or either she was fighting with someone else for it, but it was apparent that she won because she came back sounding just as x-rated as she did before.

"Takahashi-san, I have a proposition for you."

Rolling his eyes, Inuyasha replied rudely, "Yeah, well I got one for you to, but it involves your mouth and my dick." He was hoping that that would make her hang up on him, it didn't.

He heard her gasp, but she quickly recovered with a soft purr. "If I wasn't already in love, I might have taken you up on that proposition, if only to teach you lesson, Mr. Potty Mouth."

Inuyasha scowled down at the phone, but didn't reply.

"If you're done being an ass, I'll state my reason for calling you now."

Since he didn't respond, the woman continued speaking, "My boss, Higurashi Kagome, is requesting that you meet her for drinks tonight."

'_Fuck, Kagome? Fuck, it is her,'_ he thought forgetting that he'd just offered her secretary a chance to suck his dick. "Higurashi?"

"Yes, she said to meet her at the place where she almost killed you-whatever that means-at 5:30."

"Let me speak to her."

"She's not available," Sango stated quietly. "Should I tell her to expect you, or will you be too busy insulting another unsuspecting woman?"

Inuyasha was quiet for a moment. _'The spot where she almost killed me? I don't know where that is.'_ All he remembered was the street, but which establishment?

"Uhm, yeah…tell her okay. I'll be there." Swallowing hard, since he knew it would probably be best if he apologized for his slight of tongue, Inuyasha asked, "What's your name?"

Clearing her throat, she replied coldly, "Sango, why? You want to give me a chance to suck something else?"

Inuyasha laughed uncomfortably. "No, not at all. I'm…I'm sorry about that. I thought you were someone playing on my phone."

"Yeah, whatever, I'll let Higurashi-chan know that you'll be there," she finished quickly as the phone went dead in Inuyasha's ear.

Closing the cell phone, Inuyasha stared down at his watch that read 4:30 and grimaced. "Shit, I don't have a fucking clue as to where I'm supposed to meet her. Does she expect me to just drive up and down the fucking street?"

After shoving his shirt back into to his pants, he fastened his belt, slipped back into his shoes, and only spared a quick moment to tie them. Grabbing the keys off the counter, he flipped open his cell with his free hand and dialed his office as he opened and closed the door behind him.

"Nya, could you look up the work address for Higurashi Kagome? When you have it, call me back so that I can program it into my navigation, okay?"

Punching the button for the elevator, he paid no attention to the wide grin that was plastered on his face or to the way that his body relaxed at just the thought of seeing her again.

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

"You did what?" Kagome exclaimed from behind her desk where she'd been going over some documents.

"I called him," Sango replied coolly.

"No the hell you didn't! Where did you get his number? What did you say to him?"

Stepping up to her overreacting boss's desk, Sango propped herself up on the edge of the pristine top and stated, "Well you told me to call him. You said to tell him to meet you at the place where you almost killed him, so I called his office and got his number from his secretary. I told her it had something to do with the file you just closed for him."

"Gods fuck, Sango! I was being facetious! Do you think I would've really said that if I knew you had his number?" Kagome shouted, her face now red as a tomato.

Sure she'd said it, and a part of her wanted her to really do it, but now that it was done… Well, this was just not good.

Rolling her eyes, Sango shook her head slowly in a negative fashion. "Up until a week ago you've been walking around here on cloud nine. Hell, the day after you came back, I caught you humming some crappy love song." Glancing over her shoulder at Kagome with a look that told her not to interrupt, she continued, "In all the time that I've worked for you, I've never ever heard you hum a damn thing. So you go away with Takahashi-san and come back humming… Well, boss lady, I'd have to say that that means something."

Standing up, Kagome stomped around her desk, her hands on her hips. "It doesn't mean a fucking thing, Sango! You had no right to call him! Now he thinks I want to see him! He had my number, damn it; if he wanted to see me, he would have called me!"

Swinging her legs in a totally childish manner, Sango interjected, "I suppose your right, but this is 2008. If you want something, you have to go after it."

Kagome growled. "I…don't…want…him," she hissed slowly.

"So then why are you getting so upset? Think of it as one of the two dates you still owe me." Jumping down from her perch, she finished, "Just ruin this one just like you did all the rest. After all it is your specialty, isn't it?"

"You bitch!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm a bitch, I'm slut, and I'm a liar. I've heard it all before."

Kagome narrowed her eyes at her friend and employee. At this moment, if she knew she could've gotten away with murder, she would have quickly decapitated Sango, chopped her body into tiny little pieces, and fed her to the fishes in Himano Bay.

Turning away from her friend that was staring her down unflinchingly, Kagome had to admit that since they had gotten back, there was little she could do that didn't lead her in the direction of Inuyasha. When she took a shower, when she cooked, when she washed her clothes or picked up her laundry; everything, no matter how mundane, led back to him.

She found herself lying awake at night imagining that he was lying besides her, holding her. She found herself, on numerous occasions, fantasizing about what it would feel like to be with him sexually. She found herself wondering…dreaming about taking long walks with him, and just…just sharing in his everyday humdrum activities.

No, she shouldn't be mad at Sango because she did say, even though it was rhetorical, to call him, but didn't this make her appear weak? Didn't this make her seem desperate and wanton?

"We're done for the day, aren't we?"

"Yeah, I guess so, why?"

"Because you're meeting him at 5:30."

Kagome visibly blanched at the thought. "Are you serious? Did he really say yes to that?"

"He sure did and without any hesitation I must add."

Kagome stared at her friend. "Really?"

"Yes, damn it! Now get your purse, you don't want to be late for your date."

Kagome hesitated. _'I shouldn't go, but if I don't… He said yes… Does that mean that he wanted to see me too?'_

Noticing that her boss wasn't moving, Sango walked around the desk, pulled Kagome's purse out of the bottom draw where she kept it, scooped up her briefcase, and walked towards her. "Here take these; you can touch up your make-up on the way there."

"Where?" Kagome asked, her tone that of a person seriously befuddled.

Pushing her towards the door with one hand, Sango flipped off the light switch with the other one and pulled the door close behind her.

"I can't go. I have work to do. You're just going to have to call him back and reschedule," Kagome stated weakly, stepping away from her friend.

"That's just not going to happen," Sango offered as she pulled her own purse from her bottom draw. Positioning it over her left shoulder, she walked towards the end of the hallway and the lobby doors.

Noticing that Kagome wasn't following her, she turned and asked, "Are you destined to be a coward all your life? For Christ's sake, Kagome, do something other than turning tail and running, which is what you normally do. You know you like him, I could tell by the dumb smirk that was on your face the entire time you were telling me about your trip. You don't think I noticed how when your phone rings you would run for it, but when you noticed it wasn't him, your face would fall?" Pushing the door open and holding it there, Sango finished, "Stop lying to yourself. You two may not have had sex in Hawaii, but something definitely happened, at least for you it did. I think you owe it to yourself to find out what it was."

Kagome swallowed and stared at her. Sometimes she hated her for being so wise and other times she loved her for it. This was not one of those times.

Stepping slowly towards the door, she admitted softly, her heart racing in her chest, "He's not like the others, Sango. He…he intrigues me. He scares me… It scares me because…" She stepped back, shook her head and swallowed the saliva that was building up in the back of her throat.

Placing her arm around her friend's shoulder, Sango replied, "I know and that's exactly why he's the one that you need to make that extra effort with. Maybe you guys will never become lovers, but at least you'll have one powerful friend, in every sense of the word, Kagome.

"But he didn't call. If he wanted to see me, wouldn't he have called me?"

Pushing the button for the elevator, Sango replied, "Men are stupid and just as shy and nervous as we are. He probably tried to call a million times but hung up. You never know, maybe I did you and him a favor by making that call."

Stepping onto the elevator, Kagome stared at her friend and wished, for the millionth time since she met her, that she had just one ounce of the strength and confidence she had.

"Do you remember where you almost killed him at?"

"Yeah, it was the place you sent me for my first blind date."

"Wow, so you to have known of each other for a little while now, huh?" Sango queried, trying to get her friend to relax. "Oh and you have to tell me how you almost killed him. I know that's going to be an interesting story."

"You could say that. So this is going to count as one of the dates, right? After this, I only have one more, right?"

"Yes ma'am, we're almost done with our little bet," Sango replied happily.

The elevator dinged and opened to the 3rd floor of the garage. Stepping off slowly as she dug through her purse for her keys, Kagome mumbled, "If this blows up in my face Sango, I'm going to fire your ass so fast you won't know what hit you. Then I'm going to rehire you only to humiliate you and fire your ass again."

"Wow," Sango mumbled ignoring Kagome's remarks. "What the hell is wrong with you, boss lady? If that's him, then there is no possible way he could ever do wrong in my eyes."

Glancing up and in the direction that her friend was looking, Kagome stopped dead in her tracks as she stared at the hanyou leaning lethargically against the hood of her Benz. He wasn't looking at them, so she took him in quickly while trying desperately not to drool.

She'd seen him in jeans, leather, linen, cotton, silk, and satin, but there was something about the way the colors he wore today made him appear even more mysterious, more unattainable, more debonair than ever before. There was something about the way the late afternoon sun reflected off his eyes as he stared at her, as he…

'_Shit, he's looking at me! He's looking at me,'_ she thought hysterically.

Stepping up to the two women that were staring unabashedly at him, Inuyasha reached over with a smirk, placing his hand beneath Kagome's chin and lifting slightly, he stated softly, "What did I tell you about catching flies?"

Kagome shook her head and stepped back and away from his touch as she stared at an openly laughing Sango. Turning her attention back to Inuyasha, she hissed, "Still trying to be an ass, I see."

He smiled genuinely back at her, "Only to you."

Kagome rolled her eyes and blushed as she walked around him and towards her car. "What are you doing here anyway?"

Glancing at Sango, he replied, "Well, you said to meet you at the place where you almost killed me, but I couldn't really remember exactly where that was. You know, that is a pretty long street."

Passing him, she replied, "So you come here instead? How did you know where to find me? Were you stalking me?"

"Only in your dreams," he replied while grabbing her hand in an attempt to see if he could still fluster her. At least, that was the excuse he gave himself. "Do you want me to stalk you?"

The truth was he just wanted to touch her. He wanted to be so close to her that her scent would bury itself with in his cloths, his hair, and in his senses.

Pulling her, so that her back was pressed up against his chest, he whispered huskily, "We're supposed to be friends, right? So how is it that I don't even get a hug hello after two weeks of not seeing or hearing from you?"

Kagome shivered and clutched her bag to her chest. "You…you could have called me, but you didn't. And why…why are you holding…me like…this?" she queried softly, though she didn't move or even try to.

Letting his hands fall to her hips, Inuyasha didn't step back. Instead, he waited for her to step forward, which didn't happen. "Did you miss me? Is that why you called me or rather had you secretary call me?" he teased softly.

Kagome inhaled his subtly cologne, allowed it to wash over her as she listened intently to every inflection of his voice.

'_Yes, God, I missed you! I thought about you every minute of the day!' _she thought, thankful that he was not a mind reader.

Staring at the two that seemed to have forgotten that she was even there, Sango smiled as she turned to walk away_. 'Wow, and she says she doesn't want him.'_

Stepping around her, Inuyasha grabbed her hand and pulled her away from her car and towards his black BMW.

"What are you doing?" she asked, following hesitantly behind him. _'Why do I become a sap around him? Why?'_

"Well, since you were gracious enough to make the first move by calling me, let me be gracious enough to pick a spot for us to go," he replied while pulling open the passenger door for her to climb in. "Besides, that place where you almost killed me has one too many bad memories. It's time for a fresh start."

"But my car… My brief case…"

"I'll bring you back when we're done, I promise," he assured her with a smirk as she slowly climbed in, her eyes trained on his golden ones. After taking her briefcase from her, he quickly made his way around to the driver side. Setting her briefcase down on the back seat, he then climbed in, buckled his seat belt, and waited for her to finish fastening hers.

Kagome felt like the whole world was moving in slow motion. Was she really in his car? Had he really just hugged her from behind? Was he seriously being a gentleman?

This had to be a dream, a wonderful dream, and at any moment she was going to wake up and he wouldn't be here; she wouldn't be in his car. She would be sitting behind her desk drooling like a fool. No, this wasn't real, this wasn't the Inuyasha she knew, but it was definitely one that she would love to know better.

"Where…where are we going? Where are you taking me?" she questioned softly.

"You'll see; just sit back and enjoy the ride," he replied as he threw the car into drive and pulled slowly out of the parking space.

Kagome couldn't help but to smile as she watched him. He really seemed happy; there was no pretense, no underlying desire. If she didn't know any better, she would have sworn that this was the real Inuyasha, the one that he kept hidden from her and everyone else.

Glancing over at her as he turned out of the garage and onto the street, the hanyou stated seriously and very uncharacteristically, "I'm glad you called."

Looking away from him, her hands clutched in her lap, Kagome smiled at the strangers standing along the sidewalk as she replied silently to him, _'I'm glad Sango did too.'_

**Until Next Time**…(Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated.)

**Next Chapter**: The Not a Date, Date


	24. The Not A Date, Date

**A/N**: As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness. I still don't have my laptop. This chapter was written a day after the last one. This is a short chapter; well one of the shortest one's I've written since I started writing this fic. Anyway the good news is, I already have the next two chapters done. The bad news, I still don't have a new computer and until recently no Internet, so there's a possibility that updates maybe a little sporadic at best. I want to thank both of my betas, Neko and the Kitchen Elf for a job well done. That's it for me, so please enjoy, my friends!!

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**Disclaimer**: I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, Malcolm and Dr. Aikio; all others belong to the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi, I just abuse them.

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**Chapter 24**:

_**The Not a Date, Date**_

"Why did you have your secretary call me if you're not going to speak to me?"

Kagome glanced quickly at her companion, but didn't reply right away. They had been driving in silence for the past 15 minutes now, and still she couldn't come up with one solitary thing to say to him. Sure, she had a lot that she _could have_ said, but this was kind of like their first date, right? She was supposed to be jittery, right?

Rubbing her sweaty palms on the sides of her slacks nervously, she replied, "What do you want me to talk to you about? How bad your driving is?"

Inuyasha chuckled lightly as he weaved between an oversized truck and a mini van. "Well that would be a start. And, for the record, my driving is not that bad; it's the other people driving around me that make it look bad, thank you very much."

Kagome giggled softly and relaxed just a little. "If that's how you choose to see it, then I guess you could be right. However…"

"Don't go all attorney on me, Higurashi," the hanyou quipped as he came to a stop at a red light. Sitting back, his hand reaching to grasp the headrest of her seat, he asked seriously, "So what made you call me?"

Kagome looked away, not sure exactly how she was supposed to answer that when she didn't really mean for Sango to call him in the first place. Once again, yes, she was happy that Sango-the bitch that she was-took it upon herself to call, but could she really tell him it was a joke, and expect him to take it well?

Reaching over with his free hand, Inuyasha gently turned her face towards his. "If this is you playing coy, I don't like it. What happened to the mouthy bitch from before?"

Pulling away from him, she snapped, "I could ask you the same thing!" There was just something about being called a bitch that really did not sit right with her.

"You could, but you didn't. Now answer the question."

Rolling her eyes playfully, Kagome started, "She's still here, don't worry, and for the record…" She stopped, rethought what she was going to say and decided against it_. 'Why ruin a good thing?'_ she thought as Sango's voice whispered teasingly in her head,_ "Just ruin this one like you did all the others. You're pretty good at that."_

Noticing that she stopped mid sentence, Inuyasha offered, "Don't start biting your tongue now," as he drove on through the light.

"I didn't bite my tongue; I just decided that this is not a battle that I want to fight with you."

Chuckling, the hanyou veered off the main street and onto the side street that would take them to their destination. It wasn't a bar or a restaurant or even indoors; it was a park that he came to often, especially after his break up with Kikyo. At times, he'd come here and sit for hours on end just staring at the lake as the ducks and squirrels scampered about the ground looking for their next meal.

"Where are we?" the baffled young woman asked, trying to take in as much of the scenery as possible.

"What does it look like?" the hanyou queried rhetorically while pulling into the nearest parking space.

Sighing exasperatedly at him, Kagome tried her best not to snap. Turning her attention towards the area outside the window, she immediately took notice of the well-manicured trees and shrubbery, the magnificently large lake that set in the center of the greenery and the people-the families playing with their small children.

Unfastening her seatbelt, she quickly climbed out the car, her eyes trained on the reflection the sun was leaving on the lake. "Inuyasha, this place is beautiful," she whispered as she stepped onto the sidewalk.

"Yeah, I know. My mom and dad use to bring me and Sesshomaru here all the time when we were small." After hitting the button to set the alarm on his car, the hanyou stepped up next to her. "You should see this place at the change of season when the sakura blossoms are falling. It actually looks like snow." Shoving his hands into his pockets, he continued, "My Mom, Sesshomaru, and I would come down here during the day when my dad was working. She'd paint portraits of strangers and their children. I think she did some of her best work here."

Staring up at him as he spoke, Kagome found herself wondering why he would bring _her_ of all people to a place like this, a place that certainly seemed to hold a lot of precious memories for him.

Pulling a hand out of one pocket, he placed it gently on the small of her back in an attempt to guide her towards the lake and what he called his favorite bench.

"Your mom was a painter?" Kagome asked softly, following his lead.

Shrugging his shoulders off handedly, he replied, "She hated being called a painter, she preferred artist because she painted, and sculpted, and played 6 different instruments. She was also a damn good photographer."

"Really? She did all of that?" she queried as she took a seat on the bench and slid down just a little so that he could sit next to her.

"She sure did." Leaning forward, his eyes trained on the lake as if he was taking a trip down memory lane, he proceeded, "Whenever anyone said anything about it, she'd say, '_What else am I supposed to do when the love of my life is working 16 hour days building a legacy for his children?'_ Settling back, his arms positioned along the back edge of the bench, he continued, "She always joked about it, but we knew she was lonely."

Knowing without having to be told that this was a tough subject for him, Kagome asked quickly, "Where can I see some of her work? Did she ever sell any to museums or private collectors?

Glancing at his companion then back at the lake, the hanyou responded, "You'd have to go visit Sesshomaru and Rin. They have a whole room dedicated to everything my mom ever sculpted, photographed, or painted. They even have her instruments displayed in glass cases." Sighing, he finished, "She never sold anything because she said the things she created were her secret loves and not something to share with the world or with people who would criticize the way she saw it."

Watching his expression go from soft to stern and back again, Kagome reached over and squeezed his hand. She knew that even though the memories that he was silently reliving were good ones, it didn't hurt any less to relive them. "I would still like to see them sometime."

Glancing down at her hand grasping his, he smiled at her and replied, "As soon as you stop being so damn emotional, I might show you."

Laughing nervously, the young woman slowly released his hand. "You know you don't always have to be such an ass. I was just letting you know, that I know what you're going through."

Sitting back, an arrogant smirk on his face, Inuyasha asked, "So what am I going through, Miss. Know it All?"

Narrowing her eyes at him, Kagome turned away and stared out at the lake in front of them. _'Why does he have to be such an idiot?'_ Glancing back at him out the corner of her eye, she noticed the forlorn look on his face as he stared at two little boys playing a few feet away from them with plastic swords.

"I know that you miss her…them," she began softly without looking at him. "I know that there is never a day that goes by that you don't think about them. I know that when you feel like the world has given you all you can take, you want nothing more than to run to them. I know that even though the hours turn into days, days turn into weeks, and weeks turn in to months, the pain that you feel never truly goes away; you just learn how to handle it better. I also know that, even though you still have your brother and Rin and maybe even a few other family members, that void that losing them left within you will never be refilled," she finished, not quite sure if she was talking to him or to herself.

Inuyasha watched her closely as she spoke, listening to every syllable that fell from her lips. Yes, she definitely knew what he was going through, but was that a good thing?

He had already told her much more than he meant to. The entire time that he was speaking about his mother, it was as if he was merely thinking those things and someone else was saying it. Staring at her as she quietly stared out at the lake, he smiled as a thought occurred to him, _'She understands me. In a very simplistic way, she understands me.'_

Leaning forward, he whispered in her ear, "What kind of date is this supposed to be because you're really bringing me down, Higurashi."

Kagome jumped and squeaked having been lost in her own thoughts of her deceased father and her grandfather, who she was sure, was not long for this world. "Don't do that!"

"Do what?"

"Scare me like that!"

Inuyasha laughed. "Scare you? Weren't you just talking to me?"

Rolling her eyes, she replied, "Yes, but still… Don't…don't do that!"

Inuyasha laughed again and stood up. "Are you hungry, Miss. Piggy?"

Frowning up at him, Kagome rubbed her stomach as if that would actually tell her whether she was hungry or not. "I guess I could eat something."

"Alright, I'll be right back."

"Where are you going? Do I need to come with you?"

Inuyasha scowled at her. "Keh, I got it. Just sit tight."

Kagome watched him walk away, headed towards to the opposite end of the park and she sighed lightly as she sat back, her purse resting in her lap. _'This isn't that bad,'_ she thought as she reached into her purse and pulled out her mirror.

Brushing her fingers over each of her eyebrows, then beneath her lower lip, she sighed again and glanced off in the direction that Inuyasha had walked in. _'Where did he go?'_ she thought idly.

Reaching into her purse with her other hand, she pulled out her tube of lipstick and applied a layer quickly. '_It's starting to get dark, I hope he doesn't really expect me to sit here much longer,'_ she thought, forgetting that he had been gone less than 2 minutes.

If she were honest with herself, she would have admitted that it wasn't that he had left her alone; it was more so that she was seriously enjoying his company and their conversation.

"Missed me?"

Turning to face the grinning hanyou, Kagome replied quickly, "Are you back already?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes as he took a seat next to her.

"What you got there?" she asked leaning forward quizzically to stare down at the items he was holding.

"Dinner"

"Dinner? What kind of dinner is that, Takahashi?" Kagome queried staring at the cylinder shaped bread wrapped in foil that he was holding.

"Trust me; the way you eat, you'll like it." Inuyasha sat one of the items on his lap then gently laid a napkin in her lap. Passing the one he was still holding to Kagome, he demanded, "Before you say one more thing, try it."

Fingering the bread as if she had to make sure it was dead, Kagome lifted it to her nose and sniffed. "It doesn't smell bad."

Picking his own up, Inuyasha took a bite and eyed her, but didn't comment.

"What is this…this red, chunky stuff? And why is there cheese on it?"

Swallowing, the hanyou sat back while wiping his mouth with the napkin in his free hand. Still, he said nothing.

"Is this meat? What kind of meat is it?" Staring down at the bread with the red stuff topped with cheese, Kagome declared, "If I don't know what it is, I'm not putting it my mouth."

Inuyasha almost choked. _'She just makes this too easy,'_ he thought as he swallowed his food. "So you're saying that if you know what it is, you'll put it in your mouth? It doesn't matter what it is?"

Realizing what he was getting at, Kagome blushed and snapped, "That's not what I said!"

"Yes it is."

"No, it wasn't!"

"Then why are you getting so upset?" the hanyou questioned mildly.

"Shut up! Just tell me what this is!"

Inuyasha sighed heavily. "You really don't trust me, do you?"

'_Was this a trust issue?'_ she thought, staring down at the delicacy that actually looked pretty damn good, and by the way that he was eating it, tasted pretty good too. "I just have to know, okay."

"It's a hotdog, okay? Just a plain old hotdog with chili and cheese," Inuyasha stated, giving in.

"A…hot…dog?"

"Yeah, don't tell me you've never had one of these before."

"No, never," she responded while bringing it up to her mouth. Flicking out her tongue, she tasted the chili. "It's not bad," she added after taking a small bite.

Inuyasha snorted and rolled his eyes as he held his hand up as if calling someone over to him.

Not paying attention to him, Kagome took another bite of her hotdog. "Dus ackshul gush," she declared.

Glancing at her, Inuyasha chuckled and handed her his extra napkin. "Weren't you taught to never talk with your mouth full?"

Ignoring him, Kagome took another bite of her dog and sighed as she looked down at the last bite clasped between her thumb and forefinger. _'It's almost gone,'_ she thought, desperately wanting another one, but refusing to let Inuyasha know she did. He already thought she was something like a glutton, why prove him right?

"She liked it, didn't she?" an American gentleman asked coming to a stop in front of them. He was standing behind a cart that had a picture of hotdog on it and an oversized yellow and orange umbrella sticking up out the middle of it.

Standing to his feet, Inuyasha replied, "She's a pig; she'll eat anything." Digging in his pocket, he handed the man a five-dollar bill and finished, "Let me have two more dogs and two bottles of water."

The man laughed as he dug into the cart and pulled out two buns. "I haven't seen your brother or Mrs. Rin here in a while, are they okay?"

"Yeah, they're fine."

"Rin should be due soon, right?"

"Yeah. I'm sure she'll bring the pups by when their old enough," Inuyasha replied, paying no attention to the woman sitting idly behind him staring at the man as he prepared their second round of hotdogs.

Taking the money from Inuyasha, the gentleman handed him the hotdogs. "Well, tell them I said hi, and take it easy on the little lady; she just knows good food when she taste it is all," he finished with a wink in Kagome's direction.

Sitting back down in the seat he'd just vacated, Inuyasha laughed at his old friend, but didn't comment as he watched the man shuffle further down the sidewalk.

Staring after the American man, Kagome asked, "You knew him personally?"

"Yeah that's Sanford-san. He's been selling these dogs in this park since before I can remember."

"How old is he?"

Glancing at her, he queried, "Why would you ask me that?"

"I don't know. You said he's been selling these forever and he doesn't seem much older than you or me."

Looking off in the direction that the man had gone, he avowed, "Well, that's because he's an Elemental youkai. As for how old he is, I haven't a clue, Miss. Nosey."

Elbowing him, Kagome chastised through clenched teeth, "I would really appreciate it if you would stop calling me names, Takahashi."

Clutching his side as if she really had hurt him, Inuyasha replied, his voice strained, "Damn how can you eat so much and still be so freaking skinny? What the hell did you just poke me with, Wench, a stick?"

Kagome elbowed him again. "Didn't I say stop calling me names!"

"Owww! No more freaking dates for you, you're too damn abusive," Inuyasha huffed as he doubled over on the bench, trying to hide his side from her.

Knowing she hadn't hurt him, Kagome rolled her eyes and retorted, "That's fine by me because you're cheap anyway. Who in the hell brings a date to a park and feeds her $1.50 hotdogs anyway?"

Sitting up, Inuyasha stared at her, his face serious, one eyebrow quirked higher than the other. "So, this was a date?"

Kagome blushed and looked away. "No…no, that slipped. It's not… I was just following you…"

Inuyasha laughed and sat back, ignoring her embarrassment. "So Higurashi, tell me, how is it that you're single? Why hasn't some unsuspecting fool scooped you up yet?" he asked changing the subject drastically.

That question threw her for loop as she choked on the last bit of her dinner that she was trying to swallow.

'_Why am I single?'_

Sure, it was a simple enough question, but how was she supposed to answer that question? Was she supposed to tell him she was single because her boyfriend's wife walked in and caught them screwing? Was she supposed to tell him that she was single because she ignored all the signs of her boyfriends' deception? Or was she supposed to tell him she was single because for the past few months she'd basically written all men and their bullshit off?

Taking a swig of the bottle of water that she'd previously opened, she did her best to catch her breath.

'_Why am I single? Shit! How the hell am I suppose to answer that?'_

Staring at her, Inuyasha stated, "You know it's not that hard of a question, unless you're really not single."

Gathering as much of her composure as she could, Kagome responded, "I guess… I guess I'm single for the same reasons you are."

One eyebrow raised higher than the other, Inuyasha snorted lightly and looked out at the lake that was now glistening iridescently from the glow of the lamps surrounding it. _'No Kagome, I seriously doubt that you and I are single for the same reasons.'_

The two sat in silence for a long moment before Inuyasha asked, "So have you had your fill of me for one day?"

Lost in her own thoughts Kagome didn't reply right away. When she did respond it had absolutely nothing to do with what he asked her.

"Sometimes I think that love and being in love are just a waste of time and energy. You put all of your time and energy into this one person and all you get back is disappointment after disappointment." Standing up, her arms wrapped around her mid section she continued, "My mom always told me that no matter what I did or how bad it turned out, I should never have any regrets because it was my decision, but…"

Turning to her companion who was staring up at her as if he was hanging on her every word, Kagome finished, "…how can you not regret something when you know with every fiber of your being that it was never meant for you? It never meant you any good? How can you not regret something that changed you from the person you were to something…someone you loathe, Takahashi Inuyasha?"

Standing up, but not moving towards her, Inuyasha shoved his hands in his pockets and stared out at the lake as he responded, "If I had an answer for that, Kagome, I'd…" He was quiet for a moment. "I'd be a happy man," he finished as he proceeded past her. The softest almost nonexistent brush of his hand against her lower back was her only sign that she was supposed to follow him.

The two would walk in silence back to the car, both lost in their own thoughts of lost loves that never should have happened. They would forget that perhaps their reprieve was sitting beside them, each hoping desperately for a speck of light at the end of what could only be describe as a desolate, dark, and consuming tunnel.

'_There has to be more to this life, besides heartbreak,'_ they thought at the same time, but neither would know because the remainder of the ride back to Kagome's car would be taken in silence.

**Until Next Time**…(Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated)

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**Next Chapter**: Glass Surfaces

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_**Acknowledgements**_: All other's have been sent PM's.

**Lucinda2323**: As always thank you so much for your wonderful review. I hope this chapter did not disappoint you.

**Future Author**: Thank you so much for your review and I hope this chapter was just as delightful to you as the last one.


	25. Glass Surfaces

**A/N**: As usual all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness. I have some good news for you guys!! I should have a brand new laptop by the end of this month, thanks to Uncle Sam!! I guess he's good for something, eh? I made this chapter longer because I wanted to make up for the last seriously short chapter and I wanted to set the stage for the next chapter, 'A Cynic's Truth'. I haven't finished writing it yet, but I do have 5 pages completed. Since I already know where I want to go with it, it should be pretty easy to finish up. Anyway that's enough of my rambling. To my wonderful betas, Neko and the Kitchen Elf, thanks for putting up with my nonsense and stay blessed. To my readers, thanks for your continued support and enjoy!!

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**Disclaimer**: I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, Dr. Aikio, and Malcolm.

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**Chapter 25:**

**_Glass Surfaces_**

"Have you found anything?" Hakkaku inquired, stepping into the dimly lit room that his twin brother, Ginta, used as an office.

Without looking back, Ginta huffed agitatedly, "Why am I doing this again?" as he punched a few buttons on one of the three computer keyboards that were sprawled before him.

Shuffling towards his brother, his beige colored trench coat flaring out behind him, one hand shoved deep within his pocket, the other holding a half glass filled with a brown substance, Hakkaku grunted slightly but did not respond. He figured his brother's statement was rhetorical at best.

Taking a quick sip, he settled himself on the edge of the worn desk and asked, "So what's the word? Kouga has been getting a little antsy lately."

Ginta glanced at his brother, but remained silent as he sat back and stared slowly from one screen to the other as if he was unsure about what he was looking at.

The ice in Hakkaku's glass clanked lightly as he took another sip of his drink, and then set it down next to him. "Oi, I know you don't like doing this anymore than I liked asking you to do it, but it is what it is."

"What the fuck is he thinking? Why won't he just leave Kagome the fuck alone?" Ginta bit out petulantly.

Inhaling deeply, Hakkaku thought his brother's questions over before answering.

He knew Ginta didn't believe in what Kouga was doing or the manner in which he was doing it, but who were they to stop him?

Sure, they had basically played in dirt together. Sure, they could remember every one of each other's birthdays. Sure, they could count on one hand how many holidays had passed when one of the three of them were not around, but…but who were they to tell their 'boss'…their best friend, that he couldn't have what his loins…his heart supposedly desired?

"I know you don't like this, Ginta, but it's not up to you. When we decided to join the Syndicate with Kouga, we chose to be loyal to him no matter what."

Pushing away from his desk in a huff, Ginta stood to his feet, his hands balled into tight fists. "Kagome and I were friends damn it! I…I still consider her a friend and I thought you did to!"

Glancing up at his brother, Hakkaku replied, "She was…is my friend, but the Syndicate comes first. Kouga comes first, you know that."

Turning, Ginta paced the small room swiftly as he ground out, "I should have told her what was going on, but, because of you…because of you and Kouga, I lied to her! I acted like I didn't know a fucking thing!" Reaching into his pocket, his hand trembling slightly, he pulled out a bent cigarette as he dug into the pockets of his wrinkled tan slacks for something to light it with. "I should've told her then! I should've told her what was going on, but I acted like…I acted like-"

"You acted like a friend to Kouga, a brother to me, and a member of the Syndicate," Hakkaku finished for him. "Don't second guess where your loyalties lay, brother. It won't bode well for you or I."

"And look where that has gotten me!" he spat heatedly while holding his hands out to his side as he spun in a slow circle.

Stepping toward his brother, Hakkaku stated, "You know no one could handle Intel better than you. And, for the record, you chose this tiny ass room," as he placed his hand on Ginta's shoulder and squeezed reassuringly.

Brushing his brother's hand off of him, the wolf demon snapped, "That's not what I'm talking about and you know it!"

Stepping back, his face set in a deep scowl, Hakkaku growled low, "Ginta, don't be-"

"Don't Ginta me, damn it! I've been stuck at this damn computer for 3 weeks looking for signs of Kagome and praying with every fucking stroke of my keyboard that I don't find her! She deserves better than this! She deserves better than Kouga! To be hunted down like this…like she's done something wrong! Fuck, Hakkaku, you know this is wrong," he finished softly, his eyes pleading with his brother's to understand him. "This… What he has me doing goes against youkai law. It goes against the laws of the fucking Syndicate for Gods sake!"

Reaching forward, Hakkaku took the lit cigarette from his brother's trembling fingers and took a puff. Exhaling, he offered quietly, "Regardless of what kind of relationship you and I had with Kagome, we've pledged our loyalties to Kouga and the Syndicate. There is not much that we can do." Taking another puff of the nicotine stick, he exhaled slowly as he finished, "As for the laws he's breaking, I prefer to believe that our hands our clean."

Hakkaku knew that Ginta's need to protect Kagome went deeper than he would ever openly admit. After all, the night they all initially met her, Ginta had seen her first. He was going to approach her, but Kouga sidestepped him, and in the end took up residence in her life, and in her heart. Leaving him…Ginta, in the position of Kagome's friend and Kouga's confidant.

"You sound like a whipped puppy," Ginta spat, snatching his cigarette back from his brother. "How the fuck can you say _our_ hands are clean?" he blustered feverishly. Holding up his hands as if they were sullied with blood or dirt, he continued, "My hands, Hakkaku, are fucking dirty! I'm the one sitting here hunting her down like she's wronged us in some fucking way! I'm the one hunting down a fucking human because a youkai that's mated to the head of Syndicate wants to bust…a…fucking…nut!" Daring his brother to say anything to challenge him, he finished, "You… You're nothing but Kouga's fucking chauffeur."

Rolling his eyes at his brother, the older of the two-by two minutes-closed his eyes for a moment in an attempt to calm himself. "No, I sound like a man that isn't confused about where his loyalties lie." Running his hand down his face in an exasperated manner, he finished, "Regardless of whether you believe me or not, my hands are, in a way, just as dirty as yours. I just refuse to think of it that way."

"He's mated, Hakkaku! How can you be okay with this? What about Ayame? What the fuck is he going to do when he finds Kagome? Is he fucking nuts?" After taking a strong pull off his cigarette, he finished, "What the hell is he thinking? This will never work!"

Feeling his ire rise at his brother's insistence, Hakkaku hissed, "I'm not okay with this, understand? I know and I get what you're saying! Don't you think I've been trying to fucking tell him how stupid this is? Gods, Ginta, just fucking do it! It's your fucking job!"

Shaking his head despairingly, Ginta stepped back away from his brother. "You know what? I hope I don't find anything on her. I hope she's dropped off the face of the fucking planet because he never deserved her and he still doesn't!"

One of the computers dinged lightly drawing both brothers attention, but only holding one.

"Finally, something we agree on," Hakkaku replied, hinting at his twin brother's last statement as he stepped around him and towards the door. He knew that with the mood Ginta was in, even if he had information for him, the chances of him actually letting him know about it were somewhere between slim and none.

"If you find something, Ginta, you will call me, won't you?" Hakkaku asked doubtfully as he came to a stop, his hand poised on the knob of the door.

Sitting back down in his chair, Ginta mumbled derisively, "Of course. I wouldn't want to disappoint the almighty Lord Kouga now would I?" Ginta waited for a reply from his brother, but one never came. The only sound he heard was the soft click of the door closing.

'_I'm not his fucking do-boy anymore. I have to draw the line somewhere,' _he thought as he clicked on the window highlighted at the bottom of the third computer screen.

Reading over the heading that said something about locating missing people, he whispered softly as his eyes traveled down the screen, "Higurashi Kagome, please keep hiding, for I know not what I will do if I find you."

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

Cresting the steps of his brother's home, Inuyasha groaned lightly. 

It wasn't that he didn't want to be here; he always enjoyed Rin's company and he enjoyed sparring with his brother, but today…today he just wanted to remain lost in his own thoughts. He wanted a personal day, per se. One that would allow him to figure out where his life was going and what he truly wanted from it.

He'd tried calling to cancel, but Rin wouldn't hear of it, so in the end he told her that he'd come over for dinner but wouldn't be able to stay long.

Reaching for the doorknob, he turned it slowly and stepped into the house.

"Oi? Where the hell is everybody?" he shouted, staring quizzically around the foyer and then into the sitting room to his left.

"Inuyasha, you're here," Rin chirped happily, stepping out from one of the rooms that they only used to entertain guests.

Smiling at her, the hanyou replied jokingly, "What the hell? You forgot how to greet your lover?"

Giggling, Rin waddled up to him as fast as she could, her belly protruding out grotesquely in front of her. Encircling his waist, she tipped up on her toes and planted a chaste kiss to his cheek. "I'm sorry about that. I was in the back."

Steadying her so that she didn't trip, Inuyasha queried, "What were you doing back there?"

"Well…" she started, her cheeks pinking slightly.

Staring at her quizzically something told him not to ask her to elaborate, but he ignored it. "Well, what?"

Twisting her hands in front of her in a rather childish manner, Rin's blush deepened as she replied, "Well, I have someone that I want you to meet."

The hanyou made an indecipherable sound that was somewhere between a grunt, a groan, a moan, and a bark, but the expression on his face told her to clarify and do it fast.

"Don't be mad. I just…"

Releasing her gently, Inuyasha stepped back and stared down at her as if he hadn't a clue as to who he was looking at.

'_Someone for me to…to meet?' _

"Don't look at me like that. I'm not trying to interfere with your private life, I just thought that you and her should meet," Rin whispered quickly, hoping to stave off the barrage of loutish language she was sure was on the way.

_'You're not trying to interfere?'_ the hanyou thought, his face set in a deep scowl.

"If you don't like her, that's fine. Just be cordial, okay?" she finished with a soft, pleading smile.

"Well, I don't like her," Inuyasha huffed with disdain, totally ignoring her last request.

"You haven't even met her!"

"I don't need to!"

"I told her this was a bad idea," Sesshomaru interjected, stepping into the room via the sitting room by way of the lanai.

Turning on him, Inuyasha hissed, "Well, if you knew this was such a bad fucking idea, why the hell would you let her go through with it?"

"When you find a woman that can stomach you for longer than a few weeks, you'll understand," Sesshomaru responded nonchalantly as he walked up to the two of them. "Besides, for some reason, my mate seems to think that you need saving."

Glaring from Rin to Sesshomaru, Inuyasha took another step back as if he was going to take off at any moment. "How the hell could you do this Rin? You of all fucking people… How could you?"

As crazy as it sounded, he felt like she had betrayed him in some way. This… Coming here on Sunday afternoons for dinner was personal. It was his time to be with his family! It was _not_ a place where he wanted to hook up with some piss poor, no named, trifling, cum bucket!

"Inuyasha, watch your mouth," the older demon warned, wrapping his arm around his mate's shoulder in an attempt to soothe her slowly rising ire.

"Feh, what-fucking-ever. I'm out of here," he snapped, turning quickly on his heels and heading towards the door he'd just entered.

"Inuyasha, I didn't have this planned! She's just an old friend from law school who happened to be in town," Rin tried to explain quickly. "Since she was only in town for one day, I told her to come by."

"Rin, why are you explaining this to him?" Sesshomaru queried tetchily. "If he's going to leave, let him leave."

"Rin, you know I'm not ready for this! Of all the fucking people, you should know better," he snapped in a clipped tone as he turned back to face them.

"I'm not asking you to marry her, just meet-" Rin tried to say.

"Is…is everything okay," a soft, heavily accented English voice queried from the room that the pregnant woman had vacated earlier, cutting Rin off.

Taking a moment to stare at the notably pissed off hanyou, Rin quickly turned her attention to her company.

"Shaarione, I'm sorry." Holding out her hand for her to come closer, she continued, "I was just greeting my brother-in-law, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha scowled down his nose at the woman as he swiftly took her in. She had long, reddish blonde, wavy hair, eyes the color of rich summer grass and freckles that ran up and down her high cheekbones. She was slightly taller than Rin, but not by much, and she was thick-not fat, but thick-especially around the hips.

"Inuyasha? I've heard so much about you," Shaarione stated politely, stepping towards him, her hand outstretched for him to shake.

Growling, the hanyou crossed his arms over his chest and huffed, "Really? Well, why don't you enlighten me?"

"Inuyasha!" the heavily pregnant young woman reprimanded.

"Feh, whatever," the hanyou mumbled, turning on his heels and heading back towards the door.

"Inuyasha," Rin whispered, while reaching out to try to grab at his sleeve.

"Keh, it's been real," he quipped uncaringly, throwing up the peace sign over his shoulder as he reached for the door with his other hand.

'_I can't believe Rin did that shit,'_ he thought agitatedly as he stepped quickly through the doorway and onto the steps, slamming the door behind him.

He couldn't remember ever being this angry with Rin before! Maybe…just maybe his anger wasn't truly justified, but oh did it feel good! Maybe he had overreacted… Maybe the woman was a nice lady… Maybe…

_'Bullshit! Rin should've known better than to try to fucking set me up like that!'_

Digging in his pocket for his keys, he stopped as his cell came to life in his back pocket. Without looking at the caller id, he flipped it open and snapped, "I don't have anything to say to you!"

"Why? Did I piss in your coffee this morning?" a sweet, hypnotizing voice inquired.

Pulling the phone away from his ear as he climbed into his car, he groaned lightly as he glanced down at the caller id.

"Kagome?"

"Yes. Are you alright?" she queried softly, her voice laced with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he lied, trying not to let her hear just how upset he was.

"Who did you think I was?"

Sticking the key in the ignition, the hanyou balanced the phone between his shoulder and ear as he shifted the car into gear with one hand and cranked it with the other.

"Rin"

"What did she do that would have you not wanting to talk to her? Do you want to talk about it?"

"No"

"Why not?"

"Because…"

"Because what?"

"Fuck! Is this fuck with Inuyasha day?" he asked irately, knowing his anger was definitely not directed at the right person. "Just fucking leave it alone! What's up? You need something?"

The phone was silent…dead silent.

Pulling the device from his ear, Inuyasha stared at the screen to make sure that the call was still connected. He knew he'd just fucked up. The one woman he actually didn't mind being around was the one woman that he'd unjustifiably snapped on. He also knew there was no way in hell that she was about to let this one slide.

Clearing his throat, he stated hesitantly as he sat back in his seat and allowed his head to fall back against the headrest, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…I shouldn't have snapped at you. I'm just…I'm just not having a good day."

He heard her clear her throat before she responded, "I think I should go. I'll…I'll talk to you some other time perhaps."

"No…no," he declared quickly, feeling like he'd just been given a precious jewel only to loose it immediately afterwards. "I actually…I actually would like to…uhm…talk."

She was quiet, really quiet, nervously so.

"Are you still there?" he asked hopefully.

"Yeah"

Glancing at Sesshomaru and Rin's house and then away, he asked as his stomach growled, "Can I…can I come and get you? Maybe we can go grab a bite to eat."

"No"

'_Fuck,'_ he thought dejectedly.

"But…but if you really need to talk, you're more than welcome to come over."

Inuyasha stared at the phone in disbelief. Was she really inviting him over after he'd snapped on her in such a rude and ill-tempered manner? Was she actually inviting him into her home?

"Uhm…uhm…" he stuttered as he slowly began driving down the driveway. "I'll be there in a few minutes?"

"Okay," she responded quickly, and just as quickly the phone went dead in his ear.

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

Setting her cell phone down on her glass top coffee table, Kagome stared at it in disbelief; her mind muddled with the all too brief, yet engrossingly insightful conversation she'd just had with Inuyasha. 

She had spent the better part of the morning cleaning and brooding over the fact that he hadn't called her, and the fact that probably because of the depressing manner in which she ended their not a date, date, he wouldn't.

It wasn't until she spoke with Sango that she was able to gather the courage to make that call.

**_Flashback_**

_"Oi, are you busy?"_

"_Not anymore, why?" Sango responded, her voice heavy with something that might have been sleep._

"_No reason," Kagome responded, not sure if she really wanted to talk to Sango about this, since she'd probably just blame her for ruining another date. _

"_What's on your mind, Boss Lady? I know you didn't just call me to listen to me breath."_

_Kagome groaned softly and kicked the covers that were partially laying over her half naked body off the bed. "Well…" she started, but stopped._

"_Well, what? Did something happen?" _

_Regretting almost immediately having called Sango, Kagome avowed quickly, "It's nothing. I…I shouldn't have called you. Sorry."_

_She heard Sango shift and possibly sit up before she interjected, "Okay, now I know something is going on. It's 8:30 on a Sunday morning and your calling me playing coy? What happened? Did something happen between you and Adonis that you regret?"_

_Giggling nervously, Kagome replied, knowing that Sango's reference to 'Adonis' meant Inuyasha, "No, nothing happened. Actually I haven't spoken to him since Friday night when he dropped me off." _

_Sango was quiet for a minute before she replied seriously, "Stop being such a girl, Boss Lady."_

_"Wh…what are you-"_

_Cutting her off, Sango added, "You know damn well what I'm talking about. You're wondering why he hasn't called you yet, right?"_

_"No… No, I'm-" Kagome tried to argue before she was cut off again._

_"Yes the hell you are! That's why you sound all depressed and shit!" Laughing, she finished, "You almost sound like you lost your dog or something-no pun intended."_

_Throwing her hand over her eyes, Kagome tried to save what little face she could by responding, "It's not like that, idiot!"_

_"Move, Miroku! Can't you see I'm having a serious conversation here?" Kagome heard Sango demand. She then heard Miroku reply, "Just tell her to call him and get off the phone! I'm ready to go again!"_

_Not wanting or needing to hear anymore she asked quickly, "Do you want me to call you back?"_

_"Get off of me," Sango exclaimed, talking to Miroku. Turning her attention back to Kagome, she said, "No, just give me a sec to get him off me."_

_Tuning out the two lovebirds that never could seem to get enough of one another, Kagome thought, 'Am I acting like a teenager? Is it really that big of a deal that he hasn't called me? Then again, why should I expect him to call me; my fingers work just as well as his do, don't they?'_

_Although she realized she really didn't have any answers for her questions, she knew by just hearing them in her head that none of them were of much importance to anything._

_There were probably a million and two reasons why he didn't call. The most important reason probably being that he didn't owe her a damned thing. So, who was she to sit here and fret over things that were out of her control?_

_"Okay, I'm back," Sango avowed, unknowingly interrupting her friend's thoughts._

_"It's okay," she replied, listening to what she figured were Sango's feet padding quickly against the floor._

_"We didn't talk about the date. How'd it go?"_

_"It was fine for the most part."_

_"Did something happen? What did you do?"_

_"I didn't do anything," Kagome snapped defensively, and then added, "We had fun."_

_"Where did you guys go?"_

_"He took me to a park and fed me hotdogs," Kagome's replied, her tone even._

_"Big spender," Sango joked lightly. When Kagome didn't respond, she added softly, "You really like him, don't you?"_

_Still Kagome didn't reply, which seemed to speak volumes to Sango._

"_Listen, this happens to the best of us, okay? Now that you've found someone that you're actually interested in, you have to make sure you don't run him off by being too old fashioned, too cynical, too needy, and too available."_

"_Who said I liked him like that?" Kagome tried to defend._

"_Will you please quit lying to me and especially to yourself? I saw the look on your face Friday when you saw him and I didn't miss the way he looked at you either!"_

_A faint, "Whatever," was all the flustered young woman could muster before her new confidant started enlightening her._

"_Just because he hasn't called you doesn't mean a goddamn thing. If you want to talk to him bad enough, you'll pick up the phone and call him. Once more this is 2008; there is no reason why a woman can't call a man that she's interested in, even if it's just to tell him how 'not' interested she is in him," Sango finished sarcastically._

"_You're an ass! You know that, don't you?" Kagome queried seriously. "As a matter of fact, you and Inuyasha seem to be cut from the same piece of cloth."_

"_Yeah, yeah and guess what? I'm damn near your only friend and he's the only guy in Tokyo that you don't practically bark at, so what does that say about you?"_

"_It says that I really need to seek some professional help," Kagome quipped lightly, though her mind was still as befuddled as it was when she went to bed the night before._

"_I wouldn't dispute that fact in the least," Sango replied. "Look, it's only a matter of time before Miroku comes and hunts me down, so I'm going to leave you on this note: call him. You have nothing to lose if you don't, but you possibly have everything to gain if you do."_

_Taking in what Sango had said, Kagome asked, changing the subject, "Hunt you down? Why would he do that?"_

_Groaning slightly as if she was uncomfortable, Sango replied, "Because I'm hiding in the closet downstairs and he thinks I'm in the bathroom upstairs."_

"_Oh my god, what the hell, Sango?"_

"_Don't you dare judge me! Beside, he loves hide and seek," Sango quipped seductively. "When he finds me, he always gets and a really nice reward."_

_Shaking her head in an exasperated manner, Kagome whispered to herself, "Why did I ask?"_

"_Because you're a nosey bitch, that's why," Sango quipped playfully. "Anyway, go call your man. I think I hear Miroku coming."_

**_End Flashback_**

That was seven hours ago and still Kagome couldn't help but shake her head in disbelief as she thought back to that conversation. Standing to her feet, she made her way quickly to her room to change into something more appropriate.

'_I can't believe I invited him over and after he snapped at me like that,'_ she thought, swinging the doors to her walk-in closet open.

Perhaps it was because she could sense the aggravation in his voice when he answered the phone that caused her to let it slide so easily. Or maybe it was because she knew how it felt to have a day so bad that all you wanted to do was disappear.

Granted, she didn't have a clue as to why he was having such a bad day and it by no means justified the way he spoke to her, but at least he apologized. And that counted for something, didn't it?

Pulling out a pair of black cotton gauchos that tied in the front and stopped mid calf, she quickly made her way over to her dresser and pulled out a black tank top that matched perfectly. Tossing her attire for the evening on the bed, she turned to the full body mirror and quickly twisted her long black hair into a loose bun so that when she took a shower it wouldn't get wet.

Stepping back away from her mirror, she began to slowly strip off her robe as she stared at her reflection.

Running her hands down her flat stomach to the thin straps of her nude colored thong panties, Kagome slowly slipped them down her thighs to her knees and stepped out of them. Standing up straight again, she scowled at her reflection.

_'When was the last time that I've been touched by a man? How long has it been?'_

Running her fingers tenderly up her sides to her full perky breasts, she squeezed them simultaneously.

'_Kouga,'_ she thought. Shaking her head, she swiftly diverted her thoughts, _'No more… I won't let him keep me from being happy any longer.'_ Staring hard at her reflection, her thoughts continued, _'I'm beautiful. I'm sexy. I'm successful. I'm…I'm worthy of everything that he…Kouga couldn't…wouldn't give me. I'm worthy.' _

Turning away from her image with a sad smile, she made her way towards her bathroom. Kagome hadn't a clue as to what the evening held in store for her and Inuyasha, but she secretly hoped that somehow it would bring the two of them a little closer together.

**Until Next Time**…(Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated.)

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**Next Chapter**: A Cynic's Truth

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**Acknowledgments**: (All others have been sent PM's) 

**Inufangrrl** – Thanks for your wonderful review and I'm so glad that you think this fic is awesome, because it is officially my second baby. Confrontations, the original, will always be my number one love, even if grammatically, it couldn't touch this one with a ten-foot pole. (lol)

**Clara** – Be patient my new friend, you will know soon enough. Thanks for your review!!

**Magpup4** – No, I don't think that you reviewed last time, but it's okay, at least you did this time! Thanks for your wonderful review.

**Lucinda2323** – First let me say, thank you. I always…always find your reviews very inspiring and thought provoking. I wasn't quite sure how the whole hotdog thing would go over, but it will be the first of a host of small things that Inuyasha introduces her to. What you have to understand and what I'll try to explain a little more in later chapters, is that Inuyasha has seen more of the world and has tried more things, where as Kagome knows nothing really outside of Japan. I know you didn't ask me about that, but maybe it will answer a few of the questions you're keeping from me. (lol) Thanks for your continued reviews my friend!!

**Future Author** – In your review you had some thoughts about the chapter, so did this follow through with any of your ideas or were you way off? Anyway, my wonderful friend, thank you for your continued support and when are you going to stop being a future author? Seriously, I want to know.


	26. A Cynic's Truth

**A/N**: As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness. I would like to begin by saying thank you to the four people that voted for this fic. Of course it didn't win, but it was nice being nominated. Good news… Good news!! I finally have my new laptop and I love it! I don't care for the 'vista effect', but what can I say; I don't really have a choice now do I? Anyway, first, I want to thank my readers-especially the ones that review religiously, and second I want to thank my wonderful awe-inspiring betas, Neko and the Akiko the Kitchen Elf!! Now on to the chapter!! Oh, and I made this one long, since I took so long to update. _FYI_: School is kicking my natural born ass!!

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, Dr. Aikio, and Malcolm. All others belong to the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi.

* * *

**Chapter 26**

**_A Cynic's Truth_**

How long had he been standing out in her hallway telling himself that he should just turn around and leave? How many times had he hit the button for the elevator, only to have it come and leave without him getting in? How many times had he attempted to knock on her door only to chicken out?

'_I should just leave,'_ he told himself. _'This… Me coming here is not a good idea.'_

Turning away from her door, he walked back towards the elevator only to stop again. '_She's not like other women. I couldn't… I can't just…'_ Shaking his head, he tried not to get ahead of himself.

She hadn't promised him sex. She hadn't told him anything of the sort, just simply, _"If you want to talk, you can come over."_ That's it, no more, no less.

But he knew, didn't he? He knew that there was possibly more between them than either of them was willing to admit. He knew that all it would take was a touch, a look, a simplistic smile and this friendship-if you could call it that-would take on a life of its own.

Knowing all that, the hanyou still couldn't bring himself to turn around and leave the same way he'd come.

'_What the hell am I doing here? Why can't I treat her like all the rest? Why do I even care?'_

Turning so that his back was against the wall of her unit, he could hear her talking with someone as she meandered around the condo. Of course, if he had wanted to, he could've easily heard everything she said. However, instead, he directed his attention away from her voice and towards her mesmerizing scent that filtered into the hallway through the cracks below her door, like the fingers of ethereal spirit beckoning him to his doom.

It pulled him off the elevator; it told him that, where she was concerned, nothing was as simple as he would've liked to make it, and it was the one…the only thing that forced him to finally knock.

His knuckles rapped three times against her door.

Inuyasha could hear her easily, so he knew she heard it, but she didn't answer. Instead it seemed that she was trying to hang up with someone, so he waited patiently while the voice-the one he hated-whispered in the back of his mind, telling him to leave…telling him that he'd done his part.

'_It's just a friendly visit, that's all. Just a friendly visit,'_ he coaxed himself as he knocked once more.

He felt her aura draw nearer to the door and his heart began to pound within his chest. He inhaled heavily, and then exhaled slowly while telling himself, _'She's just Kagome, the quirky, bitchy, and brilliant woman that almost killed me! I can do this! I can be her friend without anything happening between us. This…this is just… a friendly visit, and nothing more.'_

Closing his eyes, he placed his palm flat against her door and willed himself to disappear or wake up; he didn't care which happened, he just wanted one of them to happen.

Opening his eyes, he thought childishly, _'Shit, I'm still here!'_ Sighing slightly, he slowly raised his hand and prepared to knock again for the last time, but paused when he heard her sweet voice call out, _"Who is it?"_

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

"Why did I call you again?" Kagome huffed into her cordless phone as she lit a vanilla scented candle that was sitting on her kitchen countertop.

"Because you're a wimp," Sango replied with a giggle.

"I am not!"

"Well, instead of getting sexy for Adonis, you're on the phone with me talking about absolute nonsense. So, I'd say that that means that you _are _a wimp!"

"Gods, I hate you sometimes! I only called you to let you know that he was coming over just in case something happened," Kagome tried to explain as she picked up the remote control for her stereo and hit the power button.

"What do you think is going to happen, huh? Do you think he's going the ravage your body without your permission? Or maybe…just maybe that's what you want him to do."

"You're sick, you know that? And I'm sorry I even call you my friend!"

Sango laughed heartily into the phone and then offered, "Honestly, I'm proud of you. This is a major step in the right direction. Although, I must admit, I didn't mean for you to invite him over when I talked to you earlier."

"Trust me; it comes as a surprise to me as well. When I called him earlier, I was only calling to say hi. The rest just kind of happened, believe it or not," Kagome admitted as she tuned the stereo to a station that played nothing but smooth jazz and lowered the volume so that it was only background music.

"Regardless of how it happened, I'm glad it did. What are you wearing? Hopefully something showing a lot of skin?" Sango inquired evenly.

"Please. I have on a tank top and a pair of gauchos. I wanted to be comfortable, you know? Every other time that he's seen me, I'm always dressed for work or a date," she finished and then mumbled, "Except in Hawaii."

"You're absolutely no fun! Anyway, how's your hair?"

Rolling her eyes, Kagome answered quickly, "I have it up in a ponytail, okay? I already told you, I'm going for comfort tonight."

"It sounds more like you're going for homely to me."

"Go to hell," Kagome bit out petulantly.

"You keep telling me that and I keep telling you right after you tell me how the weather is there."

A soft knock on the door cut off Kagome's response. _'He's here! Shit, he's here,'_ she thought excitedly. Turning her attention back to her friend on the phone, she stated quickly, "Alright, I have to go! He's here!"

"Okay, but let me give you the rules first; there are none. Do you understand? Don't be yourself, because you'll push him away, be the person you once were or shit…" Sango continued with a chuckle, "…be me and fuck his brains out!"

"For heavens' sake Sango, have you no class," Kagome observed, turning quickly to the mirror that was mounted on the wall beside her entertainment center. Running her hand over her hair and down her long thick ponytail, she finished, "You're unbelievable!"

There was another light knock and Kagome grimaced. Part of her wanted to run to the door to greet him, but the other part-the scary, wimpy part-wanted to run into her room and hide under the sheets until he stopped knocking and left.

"Seriously Kagome, have fun, okay? And you better tell me everything tomorrow understand?"

"Yeah, yeah whatever," the frazzled young woman replied as she stared at the door. Shutting the phone off, she stepped slowly towards the door, her heart ramming within her chest with every step she took.

Her stomach felt like it was filled with butterflies, her hands were sweaty, her mouth was dry, and she could feel little goose bumps begin to rise up over every inch of bare skin.

'_Relax, Kagome, it's just Inuyasha. It's just…It's just the one man that makes your knees weak!'_ She stepped back, tried to regain her composure. _'He's just a man. He's nobody special. He's just…he's just waiting on the other side of the door for me to open it!'_

Shaking herself as if she could shed the nervousness, Kagome stepped forward slowly until she was a breath away from the door. Placing one palm flat against the door, she gripped the knob with the other and asked, "Who is it?"

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

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"Took you long enough," Inuyasha quipped playfully as he quickly gave her the once over.

He immediately noticed the way the black tank top she wore hugged her full breasts and wrapped snuggly around her flat stomach, showing him just the right amount of cleavage and a small sensual sliver of her inviting midriff.

After briefly allowing his eyes to travel down over her hips to her thighs, he forced himself to drag his attention back up to her beautiful, make-up free face, which he was sure was staring at him, watching him, watch her.

Feeling more than a little self-conscious because of the way that he was staring at her, Kagome stepped back opening the door a little wider, so that he could pass through.

"Sorry about that. I was on the phone with a friend that wouldn't stop talking."

As he passed her, she couldn't stop her eyes from roaming down his broad, t-shirt clad back, to his jean clad rear end that looked too perfect to be real. Shaking her head as she forced her eyes back up to an area of his body that didn't make her feel like she was undressing him, she thought, '_Behave Kagome. You seriously don't want to step into those muddy waters with him,'_ as she slowly closed the door behind him.

Glancing around the partially lit living room, one hand shoved deep in his pocket, the hanyou turned to face her. "Nice place. Do you always light candles and play soft music when you have friends coming over?"

Her eyes seemed to have a mind of their own as they began to slowly drift down and over his well muscled chest, his flat, probably chiseled stomach, and then down to his crotch.

Swallowing hard, Kagome turned quickly away from him and pretended to check the locks on the door as she tried to regain her composure.

'_Gods, what's wrong me? Why am I acting like Sango?'_

After a few long, quiet seconds, she finally turned back to face him, but couldn't make herself look directly at him as she quickly stepped forward and around him; the nervousness that she was feeling was a palpable thing.

"Well… Well, yeah," she lied. "I know you don't think that I did this for you," she finished as she stepped into the kitchen that sat just off of the living room.

Inuyasha chuckled as he quickly stepped out of his shoes and set them by the door. "Aw, I actually thought that maybe I was special to you." His only goal was to quell the nervousness that he could feel coming off her lithe body in waves; it was also that same nervousness that made him forget that just moments ago he was feeling the same way-if not more so.

"In your dreams, Dog-boy," Kagome quipped without thinking about it.

The hanyou was a little taken aback by that, but quickly shook it off. Chuckling lightly, he replied, his tone filled with sarcasm, "Candle light, soft music, and pet names? Wow, you really know how to make a man feel unwanted."

"Well, I figured that since your were having such a horrendous day, I could at least pretend to care." Taking down two glasses from the cabinet, she finished with just a hint of mockery, "I don't have any beer. So, do you want dish water or wine?"

Shuffling into the living room, Inuyasha couldn't help but grin. Had anyone else offered him dish water, he probably would've told her where she could go and what she could do once she got there. But this was Kagome, for some reason and for many reasons he didn't care to think about, he just couldn't treat her like all the rest.

Stepping up to the large picturesque window that overlooked the city, he retorted, "I'll take the dish water on ice if it's not too much trouble."

Staring down at the city below and the red and white lights of what seemed like a million cars zipping by; the hanyou couldn't stop his mind from wandering back to his earlier argument with his sister-in-law.

What could she have been thinking? What would've led her to believe that it was okay for her to try to set him up with that woman? Of all the people that he confided in, she should've known better than anyone else that he wasn't ready!

Sure, it probably seemed as if he was jumping the gun, but think about it. That woman, Shaarione or Sorrieohna-whatever her name was-was not someone that he could've had a one night stand with and then dismiss carelessly. He couldn't have pretended to be interested in her because as soon as he showed his true colors, she'd be running to Rin crying and wailing her green eyes out about how he'd wronged her, and how would he have explained that?

'_Rin will probably be upset with me for a few days, but I did the right thing regardless of how I did it,_' he told himself. _'She'll understand eventually and if she doesn't, I'll make her.'_

"Do you always ignore your hostess?" Kagome questioned, stepping up behind him, one hand outstretched with a glass of wine for him to take.

"Huh?" the hanyou responded turning to face her. Truth be told, he hadn't heard a thing she said. Staring down at the glass of wine, he stated, a scowl on his face, "Didn't I ask for dish water? Besides, I thought I told you when we was in Hawaii that wine was a bitch's drink."

"You said a lot of things in Hawaii. I'm still trying to figure out what was bullshit and what wasn't." Smirking at her company as he stared at her with a dumbfounded look on his face, Kagome stepped up next to him and stared down at the street below.

"This is a view that I never get tired of," she whispered more to herself than to him.

Turning his attention away from her and back down at the street below, the hanyou admitted, "It certainly makes it easy for you to lose yourself in it."

Taking a sip from her glass, the newly relaxed young woman turned away from the window and took a seat on the couch.

"I'd like to say that I bought this place because of that view, but I can't. My firm bought it for me, so I guess you could say that I have them to thank for it."

Following her, the hanyou sat one cushion down from her on the same couch, and commented as he glanced around the living room and into the kitchen, "I didn't know Law Firms did that, but I suppose when you find brilliance you do what you must to keep it."

Staring at him, a gloating leer on her face, she queried, "Dog-boy, did you just give me a compliment?"

Looking as if he was replaying his previous words in his head, Inuyasha quipped, "No, I don't think that I did and stop calling me-"

"You can't take it back now, you already said it," she interrupted, her tone melodious.

Chuckling lightly, Inuyasha set his glass down on the coffee table and sat back as he watched her take a sip from her glass and then shift so that she was sitting with one leg bent beneath her, the other one resting comfortably off the side of the couch.

'_Higurashi Kagome, you really are something else,'_ he thought as he watched her put her drink down and brush her hands lightly over and down her ponytail.

Yes, there was something special about her. And every minute he spent with her seemed to drive that point home even more. That being said, knowing the frame of mind that he was in and had he had any kind of rational common sense, he would've been trying to distance himself from her instead of taking every chance that was given to him to see her…talk to her…be near her.

"Why were you so upset with Rin earlier?" Kagome asked, unknowingly interrupting his thoughts.

Sighing heavily, Inuyasha looked away from her. He didn't want to talk to her about this. He didn't want to rehash something that really had absolutely nothing to do with her, but everything to do with the reason why he was invited into her humble abode.

Running his hand down his face in an exasperated manner, he leaned back, allowing his head to relax against the plush cushions.

No, he wasn't ready to open up to her about his personal affairs, but how could he dissuade her without her feeling shut out or toyed with?

The hanyou blinked and stared up at the ceiling as a familiar, yet unwelcome feeling crept slowly up his spine.

'_When did I start caring about her feelings?'_

"You know, I really don't like being ignored," Kagome declared as she poked him with the big toe of the foot that was previously dangling off the side of the couch.

She was by no means trying to flirt with him; this was simply her way of getting him to pay her a little more attention.

Glancing quickly at her and then back up at the ceiling, Inuyasha said softly, "I'm not ignoring you, woman. I'm just wondering if you got that nosey gene from your mother or your father."

Poking him again with her toe, she countered with a light giggle, "I got it from my father. Now stop evading the question."

Grabbing her bare foot before she could poke him again, Inuyasha held on to it as he replied without looking at her. "I don't know… I…I guess now that I think about it, it was pretty stupid. Or I could've at least handled it a little better."

Staring at his hand that was grasping her foot gently, the befuddled young woman couldn't stop the blush that crept over her face as he lifted it and placed it in his lap.

'_What is he doing? Does he know what he doing? Should I pull my foot back? Will he care if I pull it back?'_ she thought frantically as she watched him close his eyes once more. _'Oh my god, he's rubbing my foot! Takahashi Inuyasha is rubbing my foot!'_ her thought finished as she felt the claws of his hand dig lightly into the tender flesh of the underside of her foot, causing her to inhale deeply.

Trying fruitlessly to block out the way his hand trailed slowly up and down the side of her flesh, the flabbergasted young woman, swallowed hard and stuttered, "How… How did you handle it? Wha…What did you do that was so stupid?" On reflex, her leg jerked slightly as he lightly grazed over her instep, which caused her to bite down on her lower lip as her eyes closed partially and her toes curled in his hand.

Lost in his own mind and oblivious to the fact that he was massaging her foot, Inuyasha began slowly, after realizing that he really didn't have a choice but to tell her what had happened, "I sort of yelled at her and stormed out." Scratching his head with his free hand, he continued, feeling as if he needed to explain a little more, "I normally go over to Rin and Sesshomaru's house on Sundays for dinner and to spar with my brother. Anyway, today I didn't really feel like it, but I went anyway."

Kagome was doing her best to listen, but his ministrations were making it a very hard thing to accomplish.

'_I wonder how this would feel if he was truly paying attention. Better yet, what if it was my back, my thighs, or my…assssss,' s_he thought as the muscles in her thighs and private areas constricted sensually of their own accord, setting off light orgasmic bombs within her body. Shaking her head, she tried to force away her wanton thoughts and focus in on the man before her.

"When I got there…" he faltered, tried to find a way to reword what he was going to say, but fell short, so he continued, "When I got there, she had some chick she wanted me to meet."

That got the seemingly entranced woman's attention. "She had someone for you to meet?"

"Yeah. Thinking about it now, it seems stupid, but back then I felt justified, you know?"

Leaning back, Kagome couldn't help but to go back to all of the blind dates that Sango had set her up on. She knew that all of the dates were set up because of the bet that they made, but that didn't stop her from feeling cheap or rather pimped out. It didn't stop her from feeling helpless and used, did it? However, this was not something that she was willing to bring up with him, at least not just yet.

"It's not like I can't meet women on my own. Shit, they practically throw themselves at me on a daily basis. I mean, fuck… When I go over there, it's to be with my family not to hook up with some fucking trick!" the hanyou finished, not really realizing just how much he'd actually said.

Staring at him, Kagome couldn't get her mind to move past the portion of his sentence about women throwing themselves at him. _'I knew he was probably a man whore. I mean really! Look at him! Who wouldn't want him? Who wouldn't want just to be in his presence?'_

Glancing at her for the first time in more than a few minutes, the hanyou added, "It's not only her, it's my secretary, Nya, too. Up and until a few weeks ago, every weekend she had some tramp she wanted me to meet." Sitting forward, he picked up his glass of wine and took a quick sip, then finished, "I guess I never really expected Rin to do something like that; that's why I got so upset with her."

Realizing that he had let her foot go, Kagome slowly pulled it back towards her. Shifting so that she was sitting on it, she queried, "Well, if you have women throwing themselves at you, why do they feel as if you need to be set up? It doesn't make sense. And why do they have to be tricks and tramps?"

She wasn't quite sure why she asked him that, but it was definitely too late to take it back now.

Setting his glass back down, the hanyou shifted uncomfortably as he answered, "Well, first, I suppose it's because I don't really take up any of those women on their offers. It just seems like such a waste of time, you know? And second, I haven't met a woman yet that hasn't turned out to be a trick or a tramp."

Hearing those words fall from his lips, he knew how it probably sounded to her, and maybe it was a good thing. Maybe if she knew how he really felt about the female population, she would help him put a little more distance between them.

"All of them have been tricks or tramps? What kind of women have you been with?" she questioned out of curiosity.

"Doesn't really matter, does it? Eventually the truth always comes out."

"And because of that, you don't take any of those women up on their offers to keep your bed warm?"

Nodding in agreement, the hanyou replied, "For the most part, yes."

Sitting back, a condescending sneer on her face, Kagome avowed, "I find it hard to believe that you don't take _any_ of those women up on their offer."

"I said for the _most_ part," he clarified. Staring at her out the corner of his eye, he thought about what he'd just said. _'What the fuck is she trying to get at?'_

"I know men and men don't pass up free pussy."

Inuyasha scowled at her, a little taken aback by her vulgar comment.

"Yeah, well I really don't care what you believe because the truth is the truth," he affirmed bluntly.

Staring at him in disbelief, Kagome stood to her feet. "So, you expect me to believe that if I stripped down to my bare essentials you wouldn't want to get a little friendlier with me?"

Sitting forward, his elbows balanced on his knees, the hanyou responded mildly as he stared her, "That would be entrapment, wouldn't you say?"

"Regardless of what it is, would you want to get friendly with me?"

Staring at her, her hands grasping her hips lightly, Inuyasha lied, "No, I actually wouldn't. Do you want to test your theory?" he finished with a mischievous grin.

Rolling her eyes, Kagome sauntered off towards the kitchen, ignoring his comment all together. "Well, still, I find that hard to believe. I've seen men like you one too many times in my lifetime."

Staring at her as she moved about her kitchen, the hanyou asked evenly, "Men like me? Didn't I already tell you that you've never-"

"Whatever," she snapped, cutting him off.

If someone asked her outright why she was upset with him, Kagome wouldn't have been able to give them a direct answer. All she knew is that she felt like she needed to say something or do something so that he would know that she wasn't about to be fooled by his smooth, lying tongue.

Standing to his feet, Inuyasha questioned as he stepped towards the counter, "Do you have a problem with me? Because it damn sure seems like you do, Higurashi."

Opening the cabinet above her stove, she pulled out two plastic wrapped bags then reached around and pulled down two bowls from another cabinet. "No, I actually don't have a problem with you, per se. I just have a serious problem with men thinking they can tell a woman what they want to hear just to get what they want from them."

The hanyou thought that over. _'What the hell is she talking about? What did I…'_ Chuckling lightly, he leaned across the counter and stared at her. "You think I just said what I said for your benefit?" Scoffing, he finished, "Talk about egotistical… What the hell do you _think _I want from you?"

"Well, from what you've stated in the past, you don't want anything from me, right?" she hissed as she filled her tea kettle with water and set it on the stove to boil.

"Damn right! Besides, if I wanted anything from you, I could've gotten it in Hawaii. You were damn near drunk the majority of the time!"

Kagome looked as if he'd just slapped her. "How dare you! I was not! Besides, wasn't it you who was all up on me?"

"You're delusional! You were the one that jumped in my bed with just your panties and a t-shirt on?"

"You know why I did that! You were taking pictures of me and for all I know, you still have them!"

Kissing his teeth, the hanyou turned away in order to hide the tell tale smirk on his face because he definitely did have a few of the more promiscuous pictures saved in his phone.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he lied, the guilt in his voice not an easy thing to hide.

"Sure you don't," Kagome bit out as she reached into one of the drawers in front of her and pulled out two sets of chop sticks. "And my name is Booboo the fool."

Leaning forward, one hand outstretched for her to shake, Inuyasha retorted seriously, "Nice to meet you, Booboo."

Smacking his hand away, she narrowed her eyes at him, and growled, "Gods, you're such an ass."

"And you're such a bitch, but it doesn't change anything, now does it?"

The two adversaries stared at each other in silence as if they were challenging the other to a stare down.

'_I can't believe he actually expects me to believe that line of bull crap!'_

'_Damn she looks sexy when she's mad.'_

'_He doesn't have to lie about it. It's not like we're in some kind of relationship or something. If he wants to take some woman home, then fuck, take her home, but don't fucking lie to me about it!'_

'_She has no fucking idea how fucking sexy she is, does she? She doesn't know that if she played her game right she could have me wrapped around her fucking finger…regardless of whether I wanted to be or not.'_

Blinking, the hanyou shook off his thoughts and stated, "Seriously, why the hell are you mad at me? You asked me a question and I answered it and then you jump down my throat as if I did you wrong or something."

It was Kagome's turn to kiss her teeth. "Yeah, I asked you a question, but you didn't tell me the truth. And lies, Inuyasha, are just one thing I don't have much of a tolerance for."

"So, you assume that I'm lying because I don't _claim_ to fuck any and everything with a wet hole?"

"You're a man. _Of course_ you fuck any and everything with a wet _or_ dry hole."

"Really? So, if I stood here and told you that I fuck something different seven nights a week, you'd believe that because I'm a man?"

Crossing her arms beneath her perky breasts, her face set in a deep scowl, Kagome pursed her lips and waited for him to finish because she just knew that whatever he was about to say would be total trash.

"So then if I say that because you're a woman, you're also a conniving, two timing, two faced, gold digging, money hungry whore…that would be right too, right?"

Grasping her hips, she growled, "How dare you?"

"How dare you?" Inuyasha shot back. "You can't just assume shit about me and not expect me to do same to you!"

"But you don't know me!"

"And you don't know me! So stop trying to act like you fucking do!"

Stepping back away from him as the squeal of her tea kettle cut through the tension, Kagome tried to calm her frazzled nerves.

What did she think she was accomplishing by attacking him like that? They were friends and nothing more. If he said he didn't sleep with ten thousand women or even if he did, did it really matter…should it really matter? He owed her nothing…absolutely nothing!

'_Sango is so right. I ruin everything with my cynicism. I can't believe I just attacked him like that. He's right… He's right; if I judge him then he has every right to judge me.'_ She knew she needed to apologize, but she had no clue how to begin; apologies just weren't her thing.

Removing the tea kettle from the stove, Kagome mumbled without looking at him, "I'm a serious baka aren't I?"

Realizing that she understood the point he was trying to make, Inuyasha stepped around the kitchen counter and stood closer to her as she quickly tore open the two plastic wrappers and dumped the contents into the bowls. "Yes ma'am, you are."

Poking him with her elbow, she smiled, but still couldn't look at him. "It doesn't matter what you do in your free time, because we're friends right? We're just…friends."

Staring at her, the hanyou swallowed hard as her words…her question swam through his mind. _'We're just friends.'_ Allowing his eyes to trail slowly over her face and down her slim body, his thoughts continued, '_Those lips, I'll never kiss. Those hips, I'll never caress. Those breasts, I'll never taste. Her warmth, I'll never embrace.'_

He didn't have a clue as to why he did what he did next, but all he knew is that the urge to touch her…to be closer to her was not something that we was able to fight at the moment.

Running the outside of one of his fingers down the side of her cheek, he stared at her, taking in every groove of her face, the almond shape of her eyes, the fullness of her lips, and the reluctant, yet wanton manner in which she leaned into his touch.

'_Friends? I can't be your friend, Kagome,'_ he admitted truthfully to himself for the first time since he met her.

There was just something about her that dug deep into the crevices of his bones, his mind, and his thoughts. It threatened to devour him, to change him from the person he had become. It threatened to remake him…remold him in the image of what she wanted him to be.

Allowing the claw of his thumb to run gently over her cheek bone and down to her chin, he watched as her hands stilled over the pasta that she was preparing and her eyes closed on reflex.

'_But I can't offer you anything other than that.' _

Tracing the ball of his thumb over her perfectly arched eyebrows, his thought continued, _'In another lifetime perhaps, we could've been so much more.'_

Leaning in so that his nose was mere inches from her hair, he inhaled her scent and allowed it to find its place in his memories.

As he stepped back away from her, he realized that she had opened her eyes and she was staring at him with an expression that he'd never seen her wear before.

It called out to him. It pleaded with him to come a little closer. It told him that regardless of the words that fell from her lips, she needed him more than she'd ever needed anything or anyone in her life.

Smiling softly as he allowed his hand to drop away from her face, the hanyou stared back at her, begging her to read between the lines because he just wasn't strong enough to say the words that he needed to say.

As they stared at each other, neither flinching nor blinking in the quiet of her home as the music played softly about them, all animosity of the moments before were forgotten, all thoughts of jilted hearts and broken dreams were dismissed, leaving only Kagome and Inuyasha, human and hanyou, cynic and cynic, man and woman.

Like so many times before, he wanted to say no, they couldn't be friends, and like so many times before he failed.

"Whatever you want, Kagome, is fine with me," he finally replied as he felt the first nail slip tightly into what he was sure was his coffin.

**Until Next Time**… (Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated!!)

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**Next Chapter**: (Has not been written yet)

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_**Acknowledgments**_: (All others have been sent PM's)

**Nathalee**: You, my friend, have been with me long enough to know that I don't do sappy and happily ever afterish too well…lol. So that is something that you don't have to worry about. I'm so glad you're putting two and two together because I was wondering if anyone was catching the underlying things that were going on. As you probably already know, I'm not in the habit of spelling out a plot, but I love hinting around one…lol. Thank you for your continued support my friend and next time, don't stay away so long!!

**Lucinda2323:** Can I say this without sounding too weird? Who cares, I'm going to say it anyway, "I abso-freaking-lutly love you!" Your reviews are always so in depth and they kind of break down the chapter for me, as the writer, and gives me a glimpse into my own method of thinking. I hope that makes sense. If I were just a reader and I had read your previous review, I would've definitely been like, "Damn, I have to read that fic!" It was kind of hard for me to have Inu yell at Rin since she's so damn sweet, but I had to show that no one was above Inu's wrath, per se. I'm glad you liked it. I know you're going to have a mouth full to say about this chapter, so, go ahead let me have it!! Thanks for your continued reviews and support, my friend.

**Magpup4**: Thank you so much for your wonderful review, I hope this chapter did not disappoint you.

**Inufangrrl**: Inuyasha got mad at Rin because he expected her above everyone else to know that he wasn't ready to date anyone. Sure, he'd expect Nya to do something like that, but for it to come from Rin, the person he confided in, it just kind of struck the wrong cord. It was those things and the fact that he didn't want to be there to begin with that ultimately led to the outburst. Don't you worry your little head, my friend, Rin and Inuyasha's relationship is a lot stronger than a little argument, I'm almost certain that they'll eventually make up. Thanks for your wonderful review and I hope my explanation has left you less confused.

**Future Author**: Thank you for your continued support, my friend. You should hurry up and put some of those ideas to use before someone beats you to it. Remember the only bad idea is the idea not used. Thanks again for your support and I hope this chapter did not disappoint you.


	27. The Perks of Friendship

A/N: All characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness

**A/N:** All characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness. I am so sorry for the long wait for this update, but I needed to focus on school and now… Well, now I'm done for three whole months and I have nothing to do, but work and write!! Yeah!! I hope you guys like this chapter, because I really enjoyed writing it!! Damn, it feels good to actually be able to post something!! Thanks to everyone that waited patiently, and a special thanks goes out that one special person that emailed me letting me know that she was waiting and that I needed to get up off my ass!! Oh, and a very, very, very special thanks to my wonderful beta, Neko, who never lets me down!! I don't really know where my other beta is, but if she's reading this, well… "You need to email me, quick!" (Grins cheekily) I just found her. Thanks Akiko!!

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**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, Malcolm, Nola, and Dr. Aikio.

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**Chapter 27**

_**The Perks of Friendship**_

Taking a strong drag off his cigarette, he watched with bored eyes as she dropped the last of her clothing to the floor and turned to face him, a grin on her face that he was sure was meant to appear alluring, sexual, tempting…

Her attempt failed miserably.

Stretched out on the bed in his guest bedroom in nothing more than a pair of unbuttoned baggy jeans, he forced a smile as the woman, whom he'd met earlier that morning at the corner store, climbed onto the foot of the bed and began to slowly crawl her way towards him.

Inuyasha knew that, at this moment, he should've been feeling something along the lines of being turned on, but he felt nothing with the exception of boredom. Taking another drag off his cigarette, he exhaled slowly in an attempt to hide the sigh that he could no longer hold.

'_What the fuck is she doing?'_

Staring at the native Japanese woman's deep brown eyes as she slowly dragged her un-manicured nails down over his firm pecks, to his stomach, causing him to shiver slightly; a wayward thought occurred to him when he knew he should've been, at the very least, trying to remember what she said her name was, _'I wonder what Kagome's doing?'_

Granted, he didn't mind thinking about Higurashi-they were friends after all-but now of all times? How fucked up was that? How disrespectful was it to this woman that probably thought she had his undivided attention?

As the woman took one of his nipples into her hot, moist mouth, Inuyasha brought his arm up so that his forearm was lying over his eyes, shutting out the scant daylight that crept in through the closed blinds. Perhaps, subconsciously, he was also trying to shut out the woman that was now greedily sucking on his right nipple as if she thought she was going to find milk or some other liquid substance.

He grimaced, shutting out the woman all together as his mind twisted abrasively and dredged up a conversation he'd had with Kagome a night or so ago.

"_I was thinking about buying a dog. Do…do you want to go with me to pick it out?" Kagome queried skeptically._

"_Why the hell would I want to do something like that?" he spat, one eyebrow raised higher than the other._

_She looked almost hurt as she replied, "Well, you don't have to be mean about it, I was just asking-"_

"_Please, as if I'd help you pick out any animal just so you could mistreat it." Snatching the box of popcorn out of her hand as the opening credits of the movie began to play across the massive screen, he finished, "You can barely take care of yourself. I'm not about to help you mistreat a poor defenseless animal."_

_Growling, she tried again, "But Inuyasha-"_

_Cutting her off, he retorted, while barely holding in his laughter, "Don't _but_ me. No-hell no! It ain't going to happen, wench! Now shut up; you dragged me to this goddamn move-so watch it."_

A loud sucking sound drew him out of his memory, and he scrunched up his face in annoyance.

'_This isn't supposed to be like this.'_

Whatever this woman thought she was doing, it wasn't working. Here she was licking, suckling, and touching him, and all he could do was think about Kagome and her asinine idea of wanting to buy a dog.

'_I swear that woman barely knows if she's coming or going half the time, and she actually believes she can take care of a damn dog? With the hours she works, she'll barely be there to take care of it. The damn animal will starve, or either she'll over feed it and…'_

Leaning up so that he was on his elbows, he reached over and dropped the burned out cigarette butt into the glass ashtray on the nightstand. Staring down at the woman that was methodically licking her way down his abdomen to his groin, he couldn't stop the feeling of apprehension that swept over him.

'_What was her fucking name? Liola? Lui? Lolo? Luckyfucker? Shit, what the fuck was it?'_ he thought absently.

His head tilted from side to side as he stared down at the top of her head. He could feel her hand reaching slowly into his boxer briefs and it did nothing to arouse him, but still he watched.

Her hand grasped his penis possessively and squeezed it lightly, and still nothing happened. There was no blood rushing to his groin, there was no anticipation, and there was no-absolutely no-desire. It wasn't that he didn't _want_ to fuck her-he did, he _really_ did.

When he'd ran into her at that the store earlier in the day, they'd shared a few cordial words or what not, which led to them catching brunch together. How that had actually happened, he couldn't rightfully say. But he could say that perhaps if they had met when he was in a different frame of mind, she would have been something nice to parade around town with for a little while.

She was a little shorter than him, with waist length long black hair, a sexier than hell build, perfect teeth, and he could tell from just talking to her that she was educated.

'_She would have certainly made quite the treat, if only for a little while'_, he mused. But even knowing all that, it still wasn't enough to garner his attention in the way that he would've liked her to. Therefore, he surmised, he had little to no use for her.

Pushing her away gently, he swung his legs off the bed and stood quickly to his feet as he began to zip up his jeans. Glancing over his shoulder at the woman, he stated, "I'm sorry, but I can't do this right now, I have to go meet this guy at this place across town somewhere about this thing."

He knew it probably sounded like absolute crap, which it was, but at this point he really didn't care! He just wanted her to take the hint and leave.

The woman looked at him as if he had lost his mind, but he pushed past that. "Leave your number on the table by the door, maybe we can pick up where we left off later on this week," he offered as he started towards the door, leaving the baffled woman staring after him.

He knew the real reason why his dick wouldn't get hard. He also knew why his mind wouldn't focus on the woman, but for the life him and even as he picked his cell phone up off the table and dialed her number, he refused to give voice to it.

"Oi, where are you?"

"Why?"

"Because I want to make sure that you aren't doing what I think you're doing," the hanyou replied as he grabbed his discarded shirt off the floor.

"Well, you made it quite clear that you wanted nothing to do with my mistreatment of animals, so I enlisted the help of a friend of mine."

Huffing as he balanced the phone between his shoulder and ear, he worked his arms into the sleeves of his shirt and replied, "I know you're not talking about that miscreant you had call me? She's probably just as bad as you are."

Kagome laughed and he had to admit, though begrudgingly, that it was a soothing thing to hear. "Sango doesn't think that I'll mistreat it. She actually thinks that it's a really good idea. So, we're going to go and pick one out as soon as she and Miroku get over here to pick me up."

"Who's Miroku?" he asked, trying not to sound too curious, but before she could answer, he added, "Hold on a minute," as he watched the woman, whose name he still couldn't pinpoint, make her way slowly up the hallway.

He could tell she wasn't really happy about how things had ended, but he didn't really care.

'_Okay, leave, leave, leave now. Don't walk towards me. Don't walk towards me! Don't…don't… Fuck!'_

She stepped up to him, leaned up on her toes and gave him a quick peck on the cheek without saying a word as she handed him a piece of folded napkin. Watching her as she turned to leave, he couldn't stop the feeling of guilt that assailed him. Not because of what he'd done to her, but because he had Kagome waiting on the phone for him while he was saying goodbye to what was supposed to be an afternoon fuck.

'_We're friends, shit, I don't owe her any explanations,'_ he tried to make himself believe as he placed the phone back to his ear and stated quietly, "So where were we? Oh yeah, you were about to tell me who this Miroku-fucker is."

"He's Sango's fiancé. I've only met him once, but she said that he's pretty good with animals so he'll probably be able to help me pick out a decent puppy."

"Whatever, you're a miscreant, she's a miscreant, and if he's engaged to her, I can almost guarantee you that he's a miscreant as well. All three of you are hopeless," the hanyou declared matter-of-factly.

"Whatever, dog boy, I'm going to find the fattest, ugliest, meanest one I can find, and I'm going to name it after you."

"Like hell you are!"

"Wanna bet?" Kagome shot back playfully.

"Keh, we'll see. I'll be there in a few minutes, so don't leave without me."

"So now you want to help me, huh? Well maybe I don't need your help."

"Feh, don't flatter yourself. This has nothing to do with you and everything to do with that poor animal that's going to end up in your clutches." He could almost hear her roll her eyes, and it caused him to smile just a little.

Over the past few weeks since she'd invited him to her home, they'd actually seen or talked to each other almost every day or every other day if only for a few moments. They'd met for lunch on couple of occasions, went out to dinner a few times, and even taken in a movie, but always as friends, that's it. Initially, it seemed like it was being forced, but it quickly became something of a routine for them.

She'd call him at the most absurd times to talk about the most ridiculous things imaginable, but he'd never tell her that he was busy even if at one or two of those times he was actually sitting in a meeting with Sesshomaru.

And _he_ would call her late at night when he'd wake up in a cold sweat after experiencing another one of his dreams of Kikyo. There was not one time when she did not answer. No matter how sleepy she was, she always created small talk that helped to ease his racing heart and his frazzled mind; and she never asked what his dreams were about. She honestly did what good friends do; she loaned him her ear until he was comfortable enough to go back to sleep, and for that he knew he would be forever grateful.

"Whatever Takahashi, bye," she quipped into the phone moments before the line went dead in his ear.

Closing his phone, he dropped it into his back pocket as he opened the napkin that the woman had just given him with his other hand. Glancing at the number and the lipstick kiss, he frowned thoughtfully down at it and seconds later balled it up and dropped on the counter to dispose of at a later time.

'_Lineko, huh? I never would have guessed that,'_ he thought absently while picking up the keys to his car.

Grabbing his leather jacket off the coat rack, he headed out the door. Still refusing to admit the true reason why he couldn't perform sexually when everything in him wanted to and every part of him needed release.

_**

* * *

**_

Simonkal of Inuy

* * *

Looking around him as if he expected someone to be following him, Ginta nervously tapped his foot against the carpeted floor as he waited impatiently for the conveyor belt to begin turning so that he could retrieve his bag.

He'd tried taking it on the plane with him since he'd only had one suit of clothing and the bare essentials in it, but the stewardess _nicely _advised him after he'd already boarded the goddamn plane, that there wasn't any room left for carryon luggage, and that because the plane was already filled to capacity, either he'd have to check it or he'd have to wait for the next flight to Tokyo.

Growling out of sheer frustration, he quickly turned and tried to scan the hundreds of faces of nameless people that hurried about him. He wasn't quite sure what or who he was looking for, but he knew who he wasn't looking for-his asshole of a twin brother and his narcissistic once best friend turned boss, Kouga.

Of course, neither of them knew that he was at this very moment in Tokyo, because they were both currently in Kyushu, Japan, with Ayame and her family. From there, they were supposed to be going to Okinawa for a week or so-that's what Hakkaku had said anyway.

When his brother had advised him of that tidbit of information, he'd brushed it off with little to no acknowledgement that he'd even heard him. However, when the asshole had the audacity to actually tell him that Kouga said he better have some pertinent information on Kagome's whereabouts by the time they got back… Well, that was the last fucking straw, so to speak.

The wolf demon had flown into a rage, breaking two of his computer screens and punching more than a few holes in the walls of his office. He simply loathed the idea of helping Kouga hunt Kagome down. It made no fucking sense to him, none whatsoever!

Regardless of how much he tried to see things from Kouga's point of view, it just didn't make any fucking sense!

Kouga was married, mated, and-for all intents and purposes-happy, right? No, no matter how often he thought about it, it just wasn't ever going to make any fucking sense to him!

After calming down enough to think halfway straight, Ginta had gone back to the one computer that he hadn't destroyed, and began surfing the net for attorneys in Tokyo, which was going to be his next task anyway.

At first, he didn't find a damn thing, but he had to admit that there was a hell of a lot of attorneys to search through. After limiting the search down to the field of law that he knew Kagome practiced, he then checked for the names of law firms that had held large hiring sessions within the last 6 months to a year. When that didn't give him what he was looking for, he then broadened his search to include law firms whose names fell under the umbrella of much larger conglomerates.

That was how he initially stumbled upon her.

Unfortunately, it wasn't nearly as easy finding out her private information as he expected it would be having found her name so prominently displayed among the list of partners of the firm.

It took him a total of three days to get past the companies firewall so that he could verify that she was the right Higurashi Kagome. Once he was in, he was able to find her office number, home number, home address, cell phone number, her pay grade, her assistant's name and contact information and even _her_ pay grade-which, he had to admit, was pretty damn good for a paralegal.

After jotting down the information that he deemed important, he quickly exited the law firm's computer network as carefully as he'd entered, leaving everything exactly the same as he'd found it.

The feeling of elation that he felt was short lived because he quickly realized that he'd finally found her, which also meant that Kouga had finally found her as well.

Just the knowledge of where she was, was also enough to turn his stomach, because he knew that eventually he'd have to tell his brother and Kouga. He'd have to tell them everything that he'd learned about her, and that did not sit well with him at all.

He had decided rather quickly that while his brother and Kouga were off doing whatever they were doing with Ayame and her family that he could slip out of Kyoto and into Tokyo, warn Kagome that Kouga was looking for her, and tell her that she needed to relocate because eventually he would come to her with smiles and promises of a future that he honestly could not give her. He wanted to warn her, or remind her that Kouga meant her no good, and that it would be in her best interest if she stayed as far away from him as possible.

Ginta figured he would then slip back into Kyoto, with no one being the wiser.

Thankfully, he still had a week and a half left before Kouga was supposed to return from Okinawa-their second stop. So, if everything went as he'd planned, he would be able to beat him at his own game, and Kouga wouldn't have an inkling that anything out of the ordinary had taken place.

Growling furiously, Ginta pushed off the huge pillar he'd been leaning on, and stamped towards the conveyor belt that was just starting to turn. "Fucking bastards! I've been waiting here for 45 fucking minutes; this shit is ridiculous," he mumbled incoherently as he pushed a hugging couple out of his way.

Snatching his bag up off the belt, he thought hatefully, _'Fuck Kouga and his bullshit!' _

He'd come here to do one thing and one thing only and, come hell or high water, he would get it done!

_**

* * *

**_

Simonkal of Inuy

* * *

"Isn't he cute?" Kagome gushed from the kitchen where she was preparing a pot of tea.

"Feh, if you ask me it looks like someone needs to put the poor thing out of its misery," Inuyasha offered lightly as he reclined back on the couch, his arms bent comfortably behind his head, his legs crossed at his ankles.

"I don't know, I think he's a cutie," Sango interjected as she stared down at the black nose of the all black, blue eyed, six week old chow puppy that was partially hidden underneath the entertainment center.

Leaving his seat beside Inuyasha, Miroku crawled across the floor towards the scared pup and gently pulled him out of his hiding place. Lying across the floor on his back, he laid the pup on his chest close to his heart and began to gently run his fingers through its fur. "He just needs to get used to his new surroundings. He'll make a good guard dog someday."

Inuyasha huffed, "Feh, that mongrel is scared of his own fucking tail; some kind of guard dog he'll make."

"He's a puppy!" Kagome interjected as she stepped into the room with a tray of tea cups. "All puppies are scared at that age. You should know that better than any of us, Inuyasha."

Staring from Kagome to the other two humans that were looking at him as if they were waiting for him to affirm what she said, Inuyasha pitched forward quickly and shouted, "What the hell is that supposed to mean? Just because I'm half Inu youkai doesn't mean I know a goddamn thing about that runt!"

Laughing, Miroku stated from his spot on the floor, "No need to get defensive, Takahashi-sama. I, too, was thinking that perhaps you had some innate understanding of this pup. After all, he can't seem to keep his eyes off of you."

Glaring down at the human, Inuyasha growled low but did not respond. He'd known from the moment he'd met Miroku that he was going to dislike him with a passion. And every time since then, whenever he opened his mouth, it drove the point home a little more.

"I don't mean anything by that, Takahashi-sama. I just happen to think that maybe the pup has taken a liking to you," Miroku offered evenly.

"Keh, whatever."

"Play nice boys," Sango crooned as she left the chair she was seated in and laid down on the floor beside her fiancé. "Kagome, what are you going to call him?"

Settling down next to her friend, Inuyasha, Kagome quipped as she stared at the hanyou, her eyes teasing him, "Well, I was thinking along the lines of something that begins with an 'I' and ends with an 'A'."

Reaching for one of the teacups she'd just filled, Inuyasha rolled his eyes and replied, his tone bored, "Think again, wench. That shit ain't happening."

"Well, he's my dog. I can name him whatever I want to."

"You sure can, but _my_ name is taken, so try again."

Staring from Kagome to Inuyasha, Sango found it hard to believe the smile on her friend's face. From the moment she and Miroku had walked into the condo to pick Kagome up, she could feel that something was different. The woman was cheesing from ear to ear, and then the reason for that smile sauntered up the hallway from the bathroom and she understood everything quite clearly.

Sure, they bickered back in forth the entire way to the pet store, and then on the way into the pet store, and over every dog that the pet store owner showed them, but she, Kagome, had also never stopped smiling. Honestly, she had to admit that she'd never seen her friend look any happier than she did right now.

'_Those two really need to pull their heads out their asses,'_ she thought as she continued to unabashedly watch them.

They really looked cute together, didn't they? It was almost as if they complimented each other in the very same way that a rainbow complimented the sky after a summer rain, or the way that the surf of the ocean complimented the sand on the beach-there was something magical about it…them.

Scrunching up her face as she continued to watch the two of them bicker back and forth about why Kagome couldn't name her dog Inuyasha, Sango sighed lightly and decided that she needed to intervene. Turning, so that she was staring down at her fiancé, who seemed to be totally enamored with the puppy, Sango leaned down and whispered in his ear, "Play along, okay?"

One eyebrow quirked higher than the other, Miroku's hand froze momentarily as he stared up at her with a look that should've clearly told her to not do whatever she was thinking about doing; but he knew her a little too well, didn't he?

Glancing over at Inuyasha and Kagome who seemed to be totally captivated with one another, he moaned begrudgingly, and then nodded hesitantly, letting her know that even though he didn't agree with whatever she was about to do, he had her back.

Grinning down at him, Sango leaned forward on her elbows and kissed him gently on the lips then quickly turned her attention back to the two bickering friends. "Kagome, it's been more than a couple of weeks since our bet ended; you know you still owe me another date, right?"

Kagome stared at the other woman as if she hadn't a clue as to what she was talking about. As realization slowly dawned on her, she couldn't help the blush that crept over her already rosy cheeks. _'I can't believe she's bringing this up now with Inuyasha here!' _she thought anxiously.

She hadn't even mentioned anything to the hanyou about her and Sango's bet. Not that she had to, but did she really want him to find out about it like this?

Before Kagome could attempt to change the subject, Inuyasha questioned, "Date?"

Smiling up at the hanyou, Sango answered, "Yeah. You see, two months or so ago Kagome and I made this bet."

"Sango, don't you dare!" Kagome interjected hysterically. For some reason she just couldn't fathom Inuyasha finding out about the bet like this! It, in a way, made her feel desperate and maybe even weak, and, after her breakdown in Hawaii, she never ever wanted to appear weak in his eyes ever again!

"Why, we're all friends here, right? Besides, you have one date left; you're not planning on chickening out, are you?" Sango queried, an impish grin on her face.

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Inuyasha questioned, looking from Sango to Kagome in hopes that someone would enlighten him.

"That's right, you weren't around when they made _the_ _bet_," Miroku added, his voice set in a husky tone in order to emphasize how much he hated _the bet_. "You see, my sweetness over here thoroughly enjoyed coming in late to work. So our dear friend Kagome over there made this wonderful bet with her that if she came into work on time for 4 weeks in a row, Sango would get to set her up on 3-"

Cutting him off, Kagome pitched up out of her seat and shouted, her skinny pointer finger pointing at him promising him pain, "Miroku, shut up! And I didn't make the bet, Sango did! I just accepted it, shit!"

Grabbing her arm as if she was as light as a feather, Inuyasha pulled her back down so that she was sitting right beside him. Positioning the upper part of his body over her legs so that she couldn't get up again, he advised, "No, don't shut up, Miroku. I think I want to hear this."

"Kagome, what's the deal? We're all friends here, right? Besides, it's just blind dates. You've already gone on two of them. So you only have one left," Sango avowed as she reached around, taking the puppy from her fiancé. Setting the pup in her lap, she blinked a few times at her friend, who was staring at her as if she wanted to gut her, skin her, and leave her carcass outside for the buzzards to pick at.

"That's not the point! Inuyasha… He doesn't need…" Kagome tried to say, but stopped when she heard a slow chuckle begin to rumble out of the hanyou.

Glancing down at him, her eyes narrowed dangerously, she hissed, "Don't…you…laugh at me," as she pitched forward wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him back towards her in an attempt to stifle his escalating laughter.

Holding him down with one arm wrapped around his shoulders, she began to beat lightly on his clothed chest as she whined childishly, "Stop laughing you baka! It's not funny! It's…it's not funny; it's…it's sad."

Sango smiled up at the two of them. Kagome was sitting back, one arm wrapped comfortably around the hanyou's shoulders, her other arm lying in the center of his chest. She was basically hugging him as she stared down at him with a school girl pout on her face while he stared up at her from where his head laid in the valley between her breasts; his laughter had now dwindled down to mere husky chuckles.

'_They really do look good together, don't they? Just friends, my ass,'_ she thought as she watched the hanyou's eyes soften as he stared up at Kagome, who she realized was now staring over at her saying something.

"Do we have to talk about this now? Can't we discuss this later?" Kagome questioned hopefully, while trying to inconspicuously tip her head toward the hanyou who hadn't moved from where she'd placed him. "I'm sure _all_ of us don't need to hear about this."

Grinning, the hanyou stated, "Nonsense, keep going Sango. What have you got planned for the heathen?"

"Inuyasha, don't enable her! Didn't you call her a miscreant earlier? You can't believe anything she says," Kagome shouted desperately.

Chuckling, the hanyou shushed her and motioned for Sango to continue with whatever she was going to say.

Taking the hint, Sango started hesitantly, "Well…" She glanced down at Miroku for help but he just stared up at her with a dumb grin on his face, as if saying you started this mess so finish it. Rolling her eyes at him, she turned her attention back to the couple-one of whom was staring at her in anticipation, the other looking like she was going to literally throw up at any moment.

Sighing, she started again, "He's tall, he's really, really nice, and he has an excellent career, Kagome. I know that's important to you."

Staring at her, Miroku knew that she had to be picking at straws and trying to feel a way through her lie because they hadn't discussed any other dates for Kagome and she definitely didn't have any male friends of her own that she could set her up with.

"He has short black hair and he simply adores kids, even though he doesn't have any of his own," Sango continued uncertainly.

Narrowing her eyes at her friend, Kagome had a feeling that she was lying(,) so she interjected quickly, "What's his name, Sango? What does he do? Where does he live?" In an attempt to call her bluff, she continued with her assault, "If you want me to go out with this guy you have to tell me more than he's _nice_."

Inuyasha stayed quiet, not sure if he really wanted to hear any more of this because all of a sudden, it just didn't seem so funny anymore.

Sensing that his fiancé was about to fall flat on her face, Miroku sighed as he stepped in to save her, "Actually, he's a doctor at the hospital where I work." He winked at Sango as she turned to face him, a grateful smile on her face, and then continued, "He's a child cancer specialist. Ummm, I'm not into men, but I have to say that he's pretty hot; at least, that's what all the nurses say. He's about as tall as Takahashi-sama, maybe a little taller, give or take a few inches. Basically, he's an all around good guy. I think, unlike the rest of the dates that you've gone on, this one might just work out."

Inuyasha's stomach dropped into the balls of his feet, his mouth suddenly felt like sand paper, his hands began to sweat, and all he could do about the situation was blink because he could not allow himself to give voice to why the words that the miscreant's fiancé was saying were affecting him in such a way. And even if he could, he knew he had absolutely no right to.

This feeling, it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that this guy, whoever he was, was a doctor; it didn't have anything to do with him possibly being taller than he. He knew none of that mattered, he knew…he knew that, regardless of who it was, as long as the other person on the date was Kagome, he would probably always have a problem with it. Still, he couldn't allow himself to give voice to those feelings…those things he didn't want to understand.

Swallowing, the hanyou forced himself not to growl, not to pitch up out of Kagome's hold and rip out the human's tongue. Closing his eyes momentarily, he schooled his features as best he could, and stated, "Damn, this guy sounds like a real winner. What's his name?"

"His name is Hojo. We actually went to the same medical school," Miroku added for good measure.

Looking down at Inuyasha, who seemed to be going that extra mile to avoid looking at her, Kagome questioned softly, feeling as if she had no other choice, "So where is it going to be this time, Sango?"

Grinning, Sango answered, "Well, I haven't gotten that far yet, but I'll have something set up for the two of you by Friday night. Maybe I'll set up something different…something special, since this is your last blind date."

Inuyasha sat forward, pulling himself out of Kagome's hold, but he didn't say anything. He just shifted so that he was leaning away from her as he fidgeted with a tiny piece of lint that was stuck to the couch.

Miroku noticed the change immediately and wondered for the ninth time since Sango had started this little blind date rant of hers whether she knew what she was doing. He'd thought that perhaps she wanted Inuyasha and Kagome to get together as a couple, but, after this mess, he couldn't help but to wonder if whatever secret plan she had had just gone up in proverbial smoke.

Standing to his feet, the hanyou stated as he tried to make his voice sound as normal possible, "Well, I'm going to call it a night." After straightening out his clothes, he stepped towards the door without saying another word or locking eyes with any of the people in the room.

Glaring at Sango, Kagome jumped to her feet just as he opened and closed the door behind him.

'_He's upset. Wait, he can't be upset, can he?' _she thought as her feet carried her towards the door he'd just exited. Stepping out in the hallway, she called his name just as he was pressing the button for the elevator.

"What's up? Why did you leave like that?" she queried coming to a stop in front of him.

Glancing at her, Inuyasha looked away and pressed the button for the elevator again feeling like a total and complete ass. He knew he had no right to be upset, jealous, or any of the things that he was feeling right now, but damn it, he felt it even though he couldn't rightfully explain exactly why _it_ was.

Grabbing his arm, Kagome turned him to face her. "Takahashi, talk to me. What's up? It's still early and you're going home?"

"I guess I didn't realize how tired I really was," he lied.

Narrowing her eyes at him, she crossed her arms beneath her full breasts, and snapped, "You're such a liar! When did you start that anyway?"

"Start what?" he questioned, staring at her from the corner of his eye.

"Lying to me. Sure, I haven't known you that long, but you've never lied to me. So why start now?"

"Kagome, just leave it alone, okay? Its fine," he snapped softly as he pushed the button for the elevator again.

She couldn't explain it, but seeing him like this didn't sit right with her. It scared her, made her feel as if once he left her tonight she wouldn't see him or talk to him again, and that in itself scared the living shit out of her.

His heart was racing within his chest. He wanted to tell her that he was confused. He wanted to tell her that he was feeling things that he had no right to feel. He wanted to tell her that he wished they had never met because then his life would make sense again. He wanted to tell her…to yell at her to just go back to her friends, but he couldn't…he just couldn't.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, the hanyou sighed lightly and turned to face her, his head lowered but his eyes locked on her eyes. "Wench, I'm fine. I'm going to go home, drink me a beer, and scratch my balls. Now if you want to come home with me and scratch my balls for me, we can continue this conversation, but if not, I suggest you go back to your friends," he finished, a wicked smirk on his handsome face.

Staring up at him, Kagome could easily tell that his comment was just a ploy to appease her. She could tell by the look in his eyes that there was something that he was trying to hide from her, something that he did not want her to see, but she'd seen it any way, hadn't she? Even though she couldn't explain or say exactly what it was or why it was there, she saw it and that was enough, wasn't it?

Even though she didn't have to, she reached up and gently adjusted the collar on his shirt as she asked softly while stepping a little closer to him, "Are you sure you're okay?"

Chuckling, Inuyasha replied, his tone exasperated, "I'm fine, wench, trust me." Rolling his eyes, he questioned acerbically, "What? You want me to call you when I get home?"

Stepping back as the elevator dinged announcing its arrival; she playfully pushed him towards it and said just before the doors started to close, "Yes, I want you to call me as soon as you get home." Kagome watched him roll his at her eyes again, but he smiled just the same and that was as good as a yes to her.

After the doors closed, she stood there for a moment just staring at them. She couldn't explain why every time he left her, she felt lonely, nor could she explain how their friendship had developed in such a way and so quickly.

Perhaps it was because he'd witnessed her having an emotional breakdown and had never-not once-judged her because of it; perhaps it was because regardless of his rude comments, he had never seriously tried to get her into bed, or perhaps it happened because she mentally needed it.

Kagome had realized quickly after they'd initially begun this _friendship _that the surly hanyou who carefully hid his heart behind cement blocks surrounded by broken jagged pieces of glass and wanted no one to know that he cared about anything was a truly decent man. She realized that until she stopped forcing her cynicism on him, she would never understand him and he…he would never really _want_ to understand her.

Sighing lightly as she turned away from the elevator doors and started back down the hallway, she began to hum softly as she reached for the knob and twisted it.

Kagome knew she had a true friend in Inuyasha. She knew that, but would that be enough? In the end would _he_ be happy with that? Would _she…_be happy…with that?

**Until Next Time**…(Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated!!)

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**Next Chapter**: _Pulse (And yes, it has already been written!)_

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**Acknowledgments:** (All others have been sent PM's)

**Tiffani Maton**: Thanks for your wonderful review, and I will be checking out your new fic. That's a promise!!

**Lucinda2323**: I'm so sorry for making you wait so long, but sometimes life is just not fair as you probably already know. And yes, I still adore your reviews!!

**Laura**: Sorry for the long wait and no, I don't normally ever take this long to update, but school is a son of a something, if you know what I mean. Thanks for your patience and I hope you stuck around long enough to read this.

**Nathalee**: You think he's giving in? LoL, let's call it a momentary mind blank. Don't worry you'll see. Thanks for your wonderful review my friend and I'm sorry for the long wait between updates.

**Magpup4**: Inuyasha feels like they can never be together because he doesn't want to go through having his heart broken again. The pup just doesn't want to take the chance and it's totally understandable because it's not a nice feeling. That and the fact that at this point in his life he really has not faith in the opposite sex. I hope that helps with your confusion. Thanks for your review and your patience, my friend.

**Future Author**: Sorry for the long wait between updates, my long time friend. I truly hope this chapter didn't disappoint you and yes I've seen Dragonball Z, but the fight scenes were always so long that I would lose interest pretty quick.


	28. Pulse

**A/N**: As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness. Lemon Warning!! First, let me say thank you to everyone that reviewed letting me know what they thought of the last chapter. I noticed a lot of new readers (yay!!) but I seem to have lost quite a few of my long time readers that have been with me from the beginning of this ride-that sucks major ass, but I guess you win some and you lose some, eh? To hell with that, where the hell are you guysI?! Okay, moving on… Oh, I found out earlier today that I aced both of my finals and I'm currently holding tight to my 3.95 GPA (yay!!), but I will be back in school come October, so enjoy me while you have me because it's only going to get tougher from here. Okay, enough of that, I want to thank my wonderful betas, Neko and Akiko, for a job well done and for always having my back!!

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**Disclaimer**: I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, Dr. Aikio, Nola and Malcolm.

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**Chapter 28**

_**Pulse**_

"Sis, are you sure you're okay?"

"Souta, I'm fine. Besides, I have this cute little puppy here to protect me now."

"Yeah, I know, you've told me that like a hundred times already, but are you sure you're okay?" he asked again for good measure.

Souta had promised himself that he would not mention anything to his mom or his sister about his altercation with Kouga a few weeks ago. So, ever since then, he'd made sure to call Kagome more often, just to be sure that the asshole wolf demon hadn't located her and that she had no thoughts of going back to him.

"You know, if you keep calling me like this, I might start to think that you miss me and you want me to come home," Kagome joked.

The young man had to admit that as of late his sister had been sounding more like herself and for that he was grateful. She hadn't told him that she was dating someone new, so he figured whatever or whoever it was that had lifted her spirits; he owed them or it a big debt of gratitude.

Glancing over at his girlfriend who was stretched out on the other side of her bed, he grinned knowing that she was merely pretending to study and was more than likely doing her damndest to listen to his conversation.

"Naw, it's not like that. I just wanted to make sure I didn't need to come up there and kick some ass," he quipped into the phone.

He could almost hear his sister smile as she replied, "It's so nice to know that I have a big strong _little _brother to protect me."

Chuckling, Souta reached over and ran his hand lightly over Nola's hip while cradling his cell phone between his ear and shoulder. "Anyway, I'm supposed to be studying right now, so-"

"Is your girlfriend there?" Kagome questioned, cutting him off.

"Yeah, why?"

"And you're at her house?"

"Yeah…why?"

"Are her parent's home, Souta?"

"No, why?"

"I'm going to tell mom!" Kagome declared in a melodious tone.

Realizing what his sister was getting at, Souta was thankful that she couldn't see the bright blush that immediately spread over his face. "I… We… Shut up!!"

Giggling, Kagome teased, "I'm so telling on you! I know what you guys are doing!"

"Shut…up! And we're…we're… You're sick!" he huffed as he quickly turned his head away from Nola, who was now staring at him with a look of confusion on her beautiful face. "I hate you! You make me sick!" Souta shouted into the phone while trying to hold in his own laughter.

"Whatever, but as soon as I hang up with you, I'm going to call mom and tell-"

Cutting her off again, the blustering young man, hissed embarrassedly, "You… I… Shut… Bye! See if I call and check up on you ever again!"

Feeling totally embarrassed and humiliated, Souta could only sigh as he heard his sister whisper a soft, teasing, "Bye-bye," followed up by "Don't do anything I wouldn't do," moments before the phone line went dead.

Rolling over so that she was lying on her side, her head balanced on her elbow, Nola questioned softly as she shifted one of her legs so that it was entangled with his, "What was that about?"

A radiant red blush staining his cheeks, Souta glanced quickly at her then away as he responded, "Just a stupid big sister being a baka."

Pushing away her math homework, she pushed herself up so that she was sitting back on her shins as she purred, "It had to be bad to have you blushing like that."

Turning back towards her, Souta stared her up and down slowly while taking in the simple, tight fitting Sailor Moon tank top she wore with the matching bikini panties that hugged everything quite well and left almost nothing to the imagination.

Pushing his history book-which was spread on his lap-onto the floor, he thought, _Stupid Kagome thinks she knows every damn thing, _as he reached over and gently grabbed a handful of the neko youkai's fiery red hair and pulled her towards him.

Biting down on his lower lip, he couldn't stop the slow burn that started in his groin and spread rapidly out over his entire body, causing his fingers and toes to tingle.

She was beautiful, wasn't she? With hose shimmering green eyes that seemed to see into his very soul, and that odd yet beautiful symbol of a solitary black diamond on her forehead. She was the type of woman, or rather girl, which he'd seen in magazines when he was just reaching puberty and she was his-all his-and she made sure he knew it, didn't she? She made sure that he never forgot that they were meant to be together.

"What are…you…doing?" she asked lightly as if she hadn't a clue as to what was going to come next.

Sliding his hand up so that it was buried in the roots of her red locks, he whispered, "Anatomy," while pulling her closer, his nose brushing tenderly down the side of her cheek to her neck where he inhaled seconds before he flicked out his tongue and tasted her saccharine flesh.

"Oh," she murmured as she scooted over a few inches and shifted so that she was straddling his lap. Leaning into him, she allowed her head to fall back. "But my math homework… I…" A throaty purr escaped her as her arms came up and encircled his neck, bringing his head closer. "I have to finish, Koibito."

"Anatomy first," he whispered as his hands found their way around her sides and up under her shirt. Meanwhile, his lips hungrily found hers and began to devour them as if it were the last meal of a dying man.

Nola pulled away breathlessly. "What's gotten into you? Normally, I'm the one initiating this."

Souta smirked as he quickly pulled her shirt up over her head and made quick work of switching their positions so that he was lying on top of her. Running his tongue over the darker area surrounding her nipple, he acknowledged hoarsely, "Areola."

Nola inhaled deeply and arched up towards him as he repeated the process on her other breast. His mouth was wet…hot…inviting and she could do very little to stop the shudder that made its way quickly down her body, causing her to tremble beneath him.

Souta sucked her nipple into his mouth and then gently bit down on it, causing her to moan loudly as she brought her clawed hands up so that they were scratching lightly up and down his back. "Lactiferous Duct," he whispered, seconds before performing the same task on the right nipple.

Nola's hips gyrated up against his hardened manhood as she reached down between them, seeking out the part of his body that she wanted buried deep within her, but he stopped her by grabbing her hand and pinning it with the other one over her head.

"Uh-uh, I have a test in Anatomy tomorrow, and I know you want me to pass," he teased softly, as he gazed up at her with just a hint of mischief in his eyes. Returning to his task, he held her in place as he licked his way down the center of her chest. "Body of Sternum," he mumbled seductively.

Using his free hand, Souta pushed her legs further apart so that she would know to bend them at the angle he preferred, which she did happily. Nibbling lightly on her hip as she moaned and rose up against his mouth, the young man whispered, "Lliac Crest."

"Koibito, p…please," Nola begged as she tried to get him to release her hands. Normally, she knew it would have been easy for her to get out of his grasp, but whenever they were like this, whenever she succumbed to his desires, she was left feeling weak and helpless.

"Now comes the fun part," he whispered as he gently kissed his way down over her pelvic bone. Running his nose over the bare skin of what he called the devil's nest since it drove him to do things he wouldn't normally do, Souta let her hands go as he slowly licked over the lightly prickled skin, where she'd shaved it bare.

Holding the outer lips open with his forefingers, he licked them lightly and observed, "Labia Majora." Sliding two of his fingers up and down her heated slit, he leaned in and tasted her inner lips moments before he whispered to himself more than to her, "Labia Minora."

Pulling back, the young man glanced up at his girlfriend and smiled as he watched her bite her lower lip in anticipation of what was to come. Reaching up with one hand, he ran his fingers lightly along the line of her chin, while he gently applied pressure to her maidenhood and created a slow circular motion that he knew drove her crazy.

"Crus of Clitoris," he whispered huskily as those same fingers that had been plucking gently at her clit made their way down to her heated core and entered it easily.

Nola gasped and rose up against his hand as he worked his fingers in and out of her in a slow, taunting rhythm.

He loved to watch her as she reveled in his ministrations. The glow that rose up off of her skin, the heat of her body against his… He could never see himself doing something this intimate with anyone but her. And he'd tried, he really had, but ever since their first time it had been only her.

Shaking off his thoughts, Souta watched with hazed eyes as she rocked against his hand again and again, his rhythm driving her…urging her on faster…further…closer to the brink, to the end she craved.

_No, not without me, _he thought, stopping his ministrations without warning, a smile on his face as he watched her emerald green eyes stare up at him in confusion.

Pushing back off the bed, he quickly pulled his shirt up over his head and stepped out of his pants and boxer briefs while making sure to pull the condom he'd brought with him from his pocket. Ripping it open, he slowly slipped it on and turned towards her as if he was waiting for her approval.

Nola turned so that she was lying across the short end of the bed in front of him. Her legs opened, knees raised, inviting him to come play. She wasn't sure when he'd removed her panties or if she herself had done it, but at this moment, she had to admit, she couldn't have cared less.

Crawling back onto the bed, Souta balanced himself so that he was standing on his knees, his hands running up and down the outside of her thighs. "Vastus Lateralis Muscle," he whispered breathlessly as the head of his penis found her opening and slid in with little resistance due to the slick wetness that coated her.

"I love studying with you," he whispered hoarsely as she rose up against him beckoning him to move, to do something to quell the ache that was steadily building in her abdomen.

His lips found hers as his hips began to thrust slowly in and out of her, following the rapid, almost erratic, beat of his heart.

She met each of his strokes with an eagerness and desire that would go unmatched by anyone.

Their worlds united in that moment; it was just of the two of them. There were no schools, there were no college exams; there were no nosey siblings, no disappointed mothers, and no disapproving fathers. It was only the two of them in their world of beauty and ecstasy, the one that they had created.

His thrusts grew faster and harder as he neared his end. He could feel the muscles of her inner walls quivering around his member. They were calling him home as they sucked against him possessively, causing him to shudder as the need… the desire to spill his seed into her became more than he could bear.

One

"I…"

Two

"Love…"

Three

"You!!" he hissed through clenched teeth as every shred of resolve he had came undone. His toes curled, his fists gripped the sheets around her head, and every muscle in his body spasmed uncontrollably as his hips pumped feverously into her, spilling everything he was…everything that she wanted from him.

He could feel her holding onto him as she rode out the last of her orgasm and he tried to hold on, he tried to help her along, but he could do little with the exception of collapsing on top of her.

_Shit, _he hissed silently as his right leg started to jerk uncontrollably.

Trying to catch her breath, Nola slowly ran her fingers through the sweat that trickled down the middle of his back as she kissed the side of his head.

"Koibito?"

"Hum," he managed sluggishly.

"You forgot a body part."

Pushing up so that he was balanced on his elbows, he stared down at her, one eyebrow raised higher than the other.

Clenching her vaginal walls around his quickly deflating member a few times, she shot him a knowing glance.

"Shit," he hissed as he lightly slapped his hand against his forehead. "Vagina! Now we gotta do it all over again," he finished with a tell tale smirk on his face and glint of mischief in his eyes.

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Simonkal of Inuy

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Sliding her cell phone onto the night stand beside her bed, Kagome smiled thoughtfully because she still found it hard to believe that her little brother had grown up as much as he had.

_He actually has a girlfriend. I never thought I'd see the day, _she thought as she rolled onto her side and stared out her window at the full moon that seemed to be spying on her at this very moment.

_Is he really having sex? Mom said that she thought he was because she had found an unused condom in his pants pocket once, but even if he is, there's nothing wrong with that. He's old enough and, as long as he's smart enough to use protection, then I guess I'm fine with it. _

Deciding that she really didn't need to be thinking about her younger brother's sex life, she sighed lightly as she reached over and picked up her cell phone. Flipping it open, she started to dial a number she knew by heart, but quickly stopped herself.

_No, I'm not going to call him. Besides, he seemed really exhausted when I talked to him earlier, _she told herself, speaking of the hanyou who just had not been acting the same ever since the blind date was brought up a few days ago.

_He's been so distracted lately. Not to mention, he hasn't really been over at all this week for more than a few minutes. _She sighed lightly as her thought continued, _I asked him if he was okay with it and he said yes, but would he really have told me if he wasn't?_

Turning over onto her back, Kagome positioned her hands so that they were beneath her head as she stared up at the ceiling.

_No, he wouldn't tell me. He would think he had no right to tell me anything about who I date and honestly…he doesn't because we're just friends. But if he did say that he didn't want me to go… If he told me that he didn't think it was a good idea, would I even listen, would I…_

Frowning up at the ceiling, she knew the answer to that. She knew that if he was honest enough to tell her that he didn't want her to go out with this Hojo guy, she knew that more than likely she probably wouldn't go. Of course, she wouldn't let him know that he was the reason for her change of heart, but the end result would still be the same.

_But he'll never tell me that because…because we're just friends and friends don't interfere with another friend's happiness, do they? Well, at least good friends don't._

Reaching for her glass of wine that she'd brought to bed with her, Kagome took a quick sip and set it back down.

Initially, she had hoped that this friendship would lead to a less confusing life, but all it seemed to be doing was confusing her even more. At times she knew she wasn't ready for any kind of relationship, but at other times, when it was him-Inuyasha-whom she was imagining being with, she wanted it more than she'd ever wanted anything before in her life.

However, as soon as those feelings or rather thoughts came, she fought fitfully to do away with them, because she knew…she just knew that it could never be.

A relationship between them-a relationship between her and anyone for that matter-would be one massive uphill battle from conception. Honestly, she knew she didn't have the mental fortitude, the energy, or the time to devote to it.

It wasn't that she had low self-esteem, no. She truly thought very highly of herself, but…but, she didn't trust men. They-all of them-the majority anyway was liars and cheaters, who spewed drivel just for the sake of hearing themselves speak.

_But Inuyasha, he's not like that. He… As far as I know, he has never lied to me and he doesn't…he doesn't tell me what he thinks I want to hear. I don't know what he currently does for sex, but if him and me… If we were in a relationship, I'm almost certain that he wouldn't cheat on me… He wouldn't, would he? Or am I just going through a bout of wishful thinking?_

She wasn't sure how she knew that there was a very good chance that that was an unspoken truth, but she knew.

Perhaps it was hidden in the things that he said to her. Maybe it was in the way that he spoke to her at certain times. Maybe it was because-even though they were just friends-whenever they went anywhere, she always held his undivided attention; he never-not that she saw-gawked at another woman in her presence. Perhaps it was the pain that she could see hidden behind his gaze that told her that some foolish woman had hurt him in the same manner that she had been hurt. Maybe it was all of those things, but, regardless, she knew without wanting to know that he was different from all the rest.

Rolling over on to her side so that she was staring out her bedroom door, she mumbled, "If only I had met him before Kouga. Maybe then…maybe then we could've been more than friends."

She was fine admitting something that forbidden in the comfort of her own home with no one around, but she knew if she admitted that to anyone, to him, or to Sango, it could be disastrous.

Staring at the clock on her nightstand that read 11:30 p.m., she closed her eyes and tried to will her mind to stop thinking. Unfortunately, that was about as tough as trying to move Mt. Fuji; it just wasn't happening.

The sound of her cell phone ringing cut through the silence of the night.

Grabbing it, she flipped it open without looking at the caller id since she knew there was only one person that tended to call her this late at night. _Actually, _she paused and corrected her line of thought, _This would be considered early for him._

"Konnichwa," she greeted softly into the phone.

There was nothing but silence, though she could hear some muffled sounds in the background.

"Uhm, hello, is someone there?" she tried again.

She could hear breathing, but nothing else with the exception of the background noise which sounded like a television or a bar possibly.

"Going once, going twice, gone," she stated quickly into the phone seconds before she clicked the off button and set it back on the nightstand.

_That was a little weird_, she thought as she rolled over and tried to force herself to go to sleep, but that plan was cut off abruptly when her cell phone sang to life again.

Snatching it off the nightstand once more, she snapped, "Look, I have better things to do then to listen to you breathe. If you can't open your mouth, lose my number! Matter of fact, how in hell did you get my number anyway? I seriously don't remember giving it to any cowardly ass losers!"

The line went dead in her ear, but instead of setting the phone back down, she quickly checked the call list. Paging down the screen, she thought, _Private number? I should have known._

Refusing to put anymore thought than absolutely necessary into the anonymous caller, Kagome quickly downed the remainder of her wine and snuggled a little deeper into her covers. There was definitely something about the caller that didn't sit right with her, but fortunately, it was a little too late at night to waste time thinking about it.

_Asshole, _she thought as she drifted off into a fitful sleep and dreams filled with men with long white hair, golden eyes, and honey tanned skin.

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Simonkal of Inuy

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Slamming the cell phone down on the bar, Ginta quickly downed the shot of vodka that he'd ordered moments before he'd first dialed Kagome's number.

It hadn't been his intention to stoop to such tactics as talking to her over the phone, but he'd been in Tokyo for 4 days now, and, in that time, there hadn't been a moment where he was able to catch her alone long enough to speak with her.

The way he wanted to do it was to plan an accidental run in with her, but every time that she was out and about, she was always with the black haired woman that he realized quickly enough was her paralegal. And if she wasn't with her, she was with an Inu hanyou whose name he didn't know, but they were together so often that he figured he was probably the man in her life at the moment. That was fine with him because that meant that Kouga really had a much smaller chance of sucking Kagome back into his world of deceit and lies.

On a few of those occasions, Ginta had thought that the hanyou had seen him or sensed that they were being followed because of the way that he'd stop in the middle of the sidewalk and look behind him as if he was looking for someone.

The hanyou would also do things like let her walk into whatever establishment they were going to first and he'd stand outside the door, looking up and down the street as if he was trying to locate something or as if he was waiting for someone, only to turn a few minutes later and enter behind her.

What was really weird was that the night that he'd gotten in to Tokyo, after he picked up his rental car and checked into a hotel in the area where she lived, he'd gone looking for her address only to see the same silver haired hanyou climbing into an older antique looking car that was parked outside her building.

He knew that the hanyou hadn't seen him at that time, but Ginta had to admit that he could immediately sense an air of power radiating off the half demon. It was an intimidating thing in itself because most half-demons weren't nearly as strong as a full demon and that one… the half demon, seemed to surpass most of the full demons that he knew first hand.

_That's good though because if he is her new man then he can protect her_, he thought as he lifted his glass so that the bartender would know to bring him another shot_. _

Still, he needed to speak with her directly. He needed to warn her of the potential storm that had Kouga's name written all over it.

Sure, he had her home address and he knew where she worked, but he could by no means just pop up at either of those locations; how in the hell would he explain that to her? And the phone… The reason why, in the end, he'd only hung up; he'd have to explain to her how he found her cell number when everyone involved knew that her old number was changed a long time ago.

No, he definitely needed to catch her while she was out shopping or something and that…that would be more believable wouldn't it? He would then be able to slowly explain that their meeting wasn't an accident. He would be able to educate her about all of the things that have been taking place after her and Kouga's break up, and he'd be able to apologize to her for helping Kouga deceive her.

Taking the shot glass from the bartender, Ginta downed it in one gulp as he allowed his head to fall forward onto his raised hand.

He hadn't thought that it would be this hard getting to her. He had wanted to be back in Kyoto by now, but…but damn it.

_Tomorrow's Friday; I have to talk to her then. That way, I can get back home with time to spare. Tomorrow…I…I _have_ to talk to her, _he thought as he lifted his glass and ordered another shot.

"Do you think you've had enough?" the bartender questioned as he hesitantly poured the demon another glass.

Growling at him, Ginta hissed, "If you're too fucking lazy to keep refilling my glass, just leave the fucking bottle, but don't ever fucking pretend that you can tell me when enough is e-fucking-nough!"

The bartender quickly set the bottle down on the counter and backed away, his hands up in mock surrender. "Whatever you say, boss," he mumbled as he made his way to the other end of the bar and turned his attention towards another patron.

_**

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Simonkal of Inuy

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Standing under the streetlight across the street from the dive bar that the wolf demon had entered an hour or so ago, Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest and decided that he'd wait. After all, if this guy was following Kagome, then he at least owed it to her to find out why, right?

Initially, when he sensed an aura trailing steadily behind them on their way to lunch a few days ago, he'd thought nothing of it because Tokyo was full of demons and half demons. But when they left the restaurant, the exact same aura was trailing them again.

Still, he tried not to put too much stock into that because it was lunch time, and, in a city the size of Tokyo, a lot of people worked in the same buildings and ate lunch at the same places.

It wasn't until later on the next day, when he'd stopped by her place to drop off some food for her mutt, that he realized that it wasn't a coincidence; there was actually somebody following her or rather stalking her.

At first, he was just going to leave the food with the doorman to take up to her, but as soon as he stepped out of his car, he felt the same aura emanating from somewhere across the street from her building.

He didn't feel any malicious intent coming from the demon, but that didn't mean that whoever it was didn't mean her any harm. After all, if he had good intentions or she knew him, he would've gone up and spoke to her, right?

It wasn't until he'd left her condo that night that he'd decided that, if this guy was stupid enough to think that he hadn't been found out then he, himself, would follow him.

So, the morning after Inuyasha had noticed the demon outside of her building, he began tailing him. It seemed like the wolf demon only followed her throughout the day to work and back home, as if he was looking for an opening to step in and say or do something.

Every time any such chance presented itself, Inuyasha made sure to intercept Kagome by pretending as if he just happened to be in the area, or he'd call her and tell her that he was on the way to her house, knowing that she'd leave and go there. At certain times, he simply asked her where she was and told her that he'd be there in a few minutes.

He knew that most people would think that he was crossing the line of friendship, but she was human. She couldn't sense the kind of dangers that he could, therefore it was up to him to protect her, right?

That's all there was to it. She needed to be protected and he was more than willing to do it. Besides, it did kind of give him a much needed break from thinking about that damn date that she'd be going on shortly with that idiot, Dr. Hobo.

Smoothing his hand down his strong jaw, the hanyou thought_, I should just go in there and ask him what the fuck he's doing! I've been basically following him for three days now and still I haven't gotten any fucking answers._

Before, he could talk himself out of it, Takahashi stomped across the street and into the seedy bar.

Covering his nose as if it would hold off the stench of sweat, piss and smoke that assailed him, Inuyasha quickly took notice of his prey. He was sitting at the end of the bar, a bottle of cheap vodka sitting in front of him, his head resting on his raised hand, and his shoulders slumped forward, as if he had the world itself lying upon them.

_Now or never, _he thought, his face set in a deep no nonsense scowl. Shoving his hands in his pockets, Inuyasha squared his shoulders and marched over to the wolf demon, his eyes trained on the back of the demon's head.

Watching the youkai squirm and glance around him as if he felt someone approaching him, the hanyou scowled, knowing that, even if the youkai decided to run, it was too late. He was already on him.

Ginta turned slowly and stared up at the half demon that he'd seen with Kagome, but he didn't say anything, and he didn't show any emotion that would've let the half demon know that he recognized him. He did nothing out of the ordinary with the exception of reaching for the bottle of vodka and turning it up to his lips.

Sliding into the stool next to the full demon who was currently chugging the bottle of vodka as if it were water, Inuyasha demanded quietly without looking at him, "Who are you and what the fuck do you want with Kagome?"

**Until Next Time**…(Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated.)

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**Next Chapter:** From His Lips to God's Ears (Written and in the hands of my wonderful betas)

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**Acknowledgements: **(All others have been sent PM's)

**Hai IKurei:** Thank you for your wonderful review. I to hate when an author writes something and in order to understand it, you have to have a dictionary and thesaurus right next to in order to get the jest of what their trying to say. I'm glad you finding my writing easy to understand and entertaining. I hope this chapter did not disappoint you.

**IrishIndy:** Thank you for your wonderful review. From here on out, I'm going to try not to post anything unless I have the next chapter written; that way I will always have a new chapter waiting for you guys. Thanks again for your review.


	29. From His Lips to God's Ears

**A/N:** As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness. Foul language, beware!! First, remember there is two sides to every story-sometimes three. Second, get ready to despise Kouga-san just a little more. And third, if any of this has ever happened to you or you think it has-I'm sorry. Sexual innuendos, beware!! Thirdly, thanks to everyone that pulled themselves out of lurking status to let me know how much they appreciate my labor love; it's always good to hear from you guys!! Just…just don't make me have to beg you again…lol. And finally, but certainly not least, a special thanks and bow of appreciation goes out to my wonderful betas, Neko and Aikio-who has yet to view this chapter, but will shortly.

(Sighs and scratches head as she runs her hand down her face in an exasperated manner)

_As you all know, my life sucks!! It does, I swear it does!! Anyway, three days ago the woman that raised me for ten years of my life passed away, my Grandmother. Since then I haven't been in the best of spirits, sleeping, or eating much, but I'm seriously hoping that this is something that will pass with the passage of time. Throughout the life of this fic, I have had two family members pass away, which makes for a total of 4 in the past five years. So, this make me wonder, 'Did I do something wrong? Did I piss off the almighty so bad that he felt it necessary to make me suffer in such a way?' I don't have any answers for any of those questions, but what I do know is that it…this hurts…a lot. They say that he never gives you more than you can handle, but how much more does he really think that _I _can handle? How much more will I have endure or suffer through before he realizes that I'm worthy of being loved and having my loved ones around me? I don't have any answers for any of those questions either, but what I do know is that I'm tired. Emotionally, physically, spiritually, I'm tired…so…so…so tired. _

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**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership of anyone with the exception of Nola, Nya, Malcolm, and Dr. Aikio.

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**Chapter 29**

**From His Lips to God's Ears**

"So, are you going to sit there and act as if you don't know what the fuck I'm talking about?" the hanyou snapped irritably.

He'd been sitting there for all of 5 minutes and still the wolf youkai had yet to acknowledge him. All he did was either stare at the bottle of vodka when he wasn't chugging it or at the grimy wall that sat across from them as if he was waiting for it to tell him what to do.

Inuyasha could tell from the youkai's scent that he wasn't afraid of him, maybe nervous, but he definitely wasn't afraid, which the hanyou figured was alright since he hadn't come here to fight the man; he simply wanted answers.

Glancing at the bartender, who happened to be at that very moment looking at him, Inuyasha ordered, "Bring me a bottle of Ashita."

He'd ordered an Ashita, which was a lager beer that was considered domestic to Japan, because he seriously doubted that they had Guinness, Heineken, Corona, Red Stripe, or a clean fucking glass in the whole joint.

After noticing the bartender's nod of acknowledgement, Inuyasha turned his attention back to the demon beside him. "Did you really think I wouldn't notice your stench?" he questioned wryly as he took his beer from the barkeep.

"Is he going to be okay?" the guy behind the bar questioned, nodding towards the demon beside Inuyasha.

Swallowing a gulp of beer, Takahashi glanced at the youkai that was currently coddling the bottle of vodka as if he thought at any moment someone was going to take it from him. Turning his attention back to the guy behind the bar, he scoffed, "Fuck if I know."

"So, you two don't know each other?"

"Does it really matter?" Inuyasha queried.

"No, I suppose it doesn't, but-"

"But fucking what, you piss-ant?" Ginta hissed cutting the man off, his hand clutching the nearly empty bottle of liquor. Not waiting for an answer, he finished, "Do your fucking job and get me another bottle!"

Ginta had noticed the hanyou's scent as soon as he'd walked through the door of the establishment, but he thought that perhaps it was a mistake, or maybe the half of a bottle of vodka that he'd already consumed was getting to him. However, it wasn't until he'd glanced over his shoulder and saw the half demon that he realized there wasn't a damn thing wrong with any of his senses.

Still, the wolf demon had held out hope that maybe the half-breed didn't know who he was, but that was short lived, because he had sat down next to him and asked him the one fucking question that he just didn't know how to answer.

"Who the fuck are you, and what do you want with Kagome?"

Since then, he'd been simply weighing his options. He'd thought about jumping up and hightailing it out of there, but if the hanyou had found him here, he'd just follow him, right? He'd also thought that maybe he could hit him over the head with the bottle he was currently clutching, but quickly decided that that was… Well, that was just a bad fucking idea all around.

Sighing heavily as the barkeep-who he decided he absolutely detested-reluctantly set another bottle of vodka down in front him, Ginta realized that he was currently stuck between a vast ocean he couldn't swim and a mountain he couldn't climb.

It was quite clear that he couldn't actually tell the hanyou why he was here, but it was also doubtful that the hanyou would allow him to leave without getting sufficient answers to his questions.

"Look, I'll sit here all fucking night if I have to, but you are going to tell me why the fuck you've been following Kagome," Inuyasha stated, sitting back, his arms crossed over his chest as if to say his words were final.

Downing the rest of the vodka in the first bottle, Ginta wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He wasn't a fighter-had never been one, so to sit here and pretend as if he was one was just asinine.

He was the geek of the group. The one that thought out the pros and cons of a plan before it was carried out. He was the one that would rather talk his way out of a bad altercation before pulling out a gun or bruising his knuckles. He was the one that stayed away from the actual crimes so that he'd be available to bail out his brother and Kouga if it came to that, but he was not a fighter.

Running his hand down his face in an exasperated manner, he thought, If only I had thought things through more thoroughly. If only I had fucking paid attention to my surroundings, I would've known that this prick was following me! Fuck! What the hell am I suppose to do now?

Staring at the wolf demon out the corner of his eye, Inuyasha quickly took in his manner of dress. His worn and tattered looking khaki pants, a faded grey t-shirt, his red-white tipped converse sneakers, and the knee length brown trench coat he wore.

He looks like a fucking vagrant.

Turning his eyes away from the demon, the hanyou surmised that this guy was probably as harmful to Kagome as a fly was to a cow's ass, which meant that his first assumption about the demon was probably right. He meant no harm to her, but that, unfortunately, didn't mean he was about to just let this guy follow her around without having a damn good reason for doing so. And it was for that reason that he just couldn't get up and walk away.

"So you're her new boyfriend, eh?" Ginta asserted rhetorically.

Inuyasha glanced at the demon, one eyebrow raised higher than the other, but he didn't respond. He figured if letting him think that would get him the answers he needed quickly, then he'd let him think whatever the hell he wanted to.

Sliding the empty bottle away, Ginta reached for the full bottle of vodka and pulled it closer to him. "She always did go for the strong pigheaded type."

Okay, so he has something to do with her past, he thought, knowing that really didn't explain a damn thing. Leaning forward, the hanyou refused to make eye contact with the youkai as he spoke quietly but with vehemence, "Look, you don't seem to be a bad guy, but if I have to, I won't hesitate to kick the living shit out of you in order to find out why you've been stalking her!"

Ginta grunted at that and lifted the bottle of vodka to his lips, but paused. Glancing at the hanyou without turning his head, he asked carefully, "When did you notice me?"

"Three days ago."

Chuckling dryly at that, the wolf demon lifted the bottle the rest of the way to his lips and took a couple of slow long gulps before he set it back down on the bar. "Three whole days and I didn't even notice you," he half slurred more to himself than to his acquaintance. "I guess that's the reason why they keep me in the dungeon," he finished with a snort.

Narrowing his eyes at the youkai, Inuyasha realized that it was quite possible that the wolf was damn near drunk.

Of course, alcohol didn't affect demon's or even half demons in the manner it did humans, but if one of them drank enough of it, it could definitely get them drunk off their asses. And this guy had already ingested a whole bottle of straight vodka and was currently working on his second.

Chugging the rest of his beer, Takahashi raised his bottle and nodded towards the bartender in order to let him know to bring him another one. Patience, Inuyasha, he told himself as he watched the wolf youkai take another swig from the bottle.

"She looks exactly as she did when I saw her last," Ginta muttered sadly, his head lulling forward. "Only thing that's different is…she's not crying." Sighing lightly as he stared down at the bottle, he continued, "I guess Tokyo has been good to her. And that's good, that's real good."

Inuyasha watch the demon's face warp into a scowl of hatred as he stared off into his own private oblivion, but he didn't say anything. If he hadn't learned anything else from his asshole of a brother, he'd learned that sometimes, especially when you wanted to know something that someone else knew, silence was best.

"That prick! He…he… Son of a…" Ginta shook his head and growled low in his throat, his scowl turning into a cocky smirk. "I'll win this time though. I'll save her… I'll…I'll stop him this time." He smiled at no one and everyone as he finished softly while standing to his feet, his bottle in his hand, "I'll stop him this time, damn it."

Save her? Stop him? He'll win? What the fuck is this guy babbling about? the hanyou questioned as he watched the demon shuffle over to the back corner of the bar and slide into one of the booths.

Is this guy nuts? What the fuck is he babbling on about?

Picking up the bottle of beer that the bartender had brought, Inuyasha stood from his seat and followed the youkai. Sliding into the seat across from him, the hanyou said nothing, just stared at the demon.

Staring back, Ginta shook his head lethargically as he let his head fall back against the raised back of the seat. He knew he only had two ways out of this situation now: tell the truth to the half demon and let him do as he saw fit, or lie, hightail it back to Kyoto and act like none of this ever occurred.

Unfortunately, if he did the latter of the two, he knew he would be hanging Kagome out to dry once more, which would mean that he hadn't changed at all. It would mean that once again, Kouga had won, and that his search for forgiveness and redemption would go unfulfilled.

Sitting up, he took a strong swallow from this bottle of vodka, and then sighed heavily. "Before I tell you anything, I need you to promise me something," he bargained, setting the bottle back down on the table and sliding it to the side, away from his view. Staring the hanyou directly in the eyes, he continued, "I need you to promise me that you'll protect her if and when the time comes because…because…" He stopped, swallowed and glanced around the room as if he thought someone was listening. "I may not be around to do it. And this time…this time he can't… I can't let him have her."

Inuyasha sat forward, his arms resting on the table. "What the fuck are you talking about? Who the fuck is he and why the hell does Kagome need protection from him?"

Ginta shot up, slamming his hands against the wooden table as he shouted furiously, "Just fucking promise! Promise you'll protect her!"

Inuyasha sat back and stared wide eyed at the demon, who was visibly shaken and appeared to have more than a few screws loose. Shaking his head as if to clear whatever thoughts he may have been having, the hanyou answered, as if it should have been a no-brainer, "Of course. Yeah… Whatever..."

Ginta sat back down wearily, the tension he was feeling at that moment a palpable thing. If I can't do it… If I can't protect her by getting her away from Kouga, then maybe this guy… Maybe this guy will be able to protect her in other ways.

"So, who is he, and what does he want with Kagome?" the hanyou asked again, his patience beginning to wear thin.

Ginta sighed lightly, closed his eyes and allowed the story, as he knew it, to flow from his lips.

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Simonkal of Inuy

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"Oi, have you heard from him yet?" Kouga questioned as he stared out at the ocean from the 30th floor balcony he was currently standing on.

"I tried him a few times today and yesterday, but he isn't answering," Hakkaku replied as he stepped up next to his friend and boss, his hands buried deep within his pockets.

Glancing over at the demon, who he knew was loyal to him above all others, Kouga grunted something unintelligent but didn't comment outright.

He knew that Ginta had a problem with what he was doing, but he couldn't in all honesty say that he cared in the least. What went on between him and Kagome was between him and Kagome. What he did to her or didn't do to her was his business!

He was the current head of the Kyoto Syndicate; there wasn't a goddamn thing that anyone could say to him about anything! If he wanted Kagome…If he wanted her as just a fucking plaything then that's what the fuck she was going to be! If he wanted to move her into the house that he shared with Ayame, then that's the fucking way it was going to be! If he just wanted to pass her around as if she was nothing more than pussy for hire, then guess what, that's the fucking way it was going to be! No one…not one living fucking soul could tell him, what he could or could not do!

He wasn't crazy-not in the least. He was just a man…a youkai that wanted what he wanted and would do whatever it took to gain it.

When he was younger, he wanted money and the finer things, so he robbed, stole, and did whatever else he had to do to get it. At one point in his life, he wanted respect, so he worked his way through the lower ranks of the local gangs and made a name for himself; it didn't matter whether he had to kill, steal, lie or cheat-he did it all.

In the end, he realized that it wasn't enough. He needed…he wanted…he craved power…real power. So, he met, mated, and married-in that order-the only daughter and child of the retiring head of the Kyoto Crime Syndicate.

Everything was perfect now. Absolutely perfect, with the exception of one little flaw…one person.

Kagome, I'm coming for you. I'll find you, I promise.

Yes, he knew he had done some seriously fucked up things to her, but that was in the past. That was when he was struggling to get to where he was now. So, he'd betrayed her to climb the ladder of power, so what? He'd betrayed Ayame too, right? And she was still here with him. He knew it would be no different with Kagome.

'She'll forgive me just like she did a thousand times before,' he thought to himself, an arrogant smirk on his handsome face. 'She'll forgive me, and she'll come back to me and we'll be…we'll be just like we were before.'

"He was a little pissed off when we left. So, he's probably just sulking or something," Hakkaku commented, cutting off his companion's thoughts.

"Doesn't really matter how pissed off he is, Hakkaku. It's been months and he hasn't found a goddamn thing," Kouga snapped, feeling as if he was coming undone at the seams. "How hard is it to find one fucking human, huh? How hard is it?"

Stepping back away from his boss, Hakkaku grimaced, but didn't reply as Kouga continued with his rant.

"I gave him one fucking job to do! One! And his fucking ass can't even do that right!"

"Kouga, that's not fair and you know it. Ginta has been searching day and night for her. It can't be helped if he hasn't found anything," Hakkaku declared calmly in an attempt to take-up for his brother, whom he hoped wasn't doing anything idiotic.

"It can't be helped? It can't be helped?" Kouga raged incredulously. "He's doing this fucking shit on purpose!" Turning away from the wolf demon, Kouga raised his iridescent blue eyes towards the night sky and sighed heavily in an attempt to calm his frazzled nerves and his savage temper. "If he doesn't have a fucking location, number, or an address for me by the time we get home, Hakkaku, he's out," he finished, a little too calmly.

Hakkaku gulped and stepped back away from the demon as he turned and walked back into the hotel room to retrieve his cell phone. Out?

He knew what out meant and it wasn't a good thing in any sense of the word. No, his brother wasn't just out! No one was just out of the Syndicate; they were erased, deleted, missing, scrubbed, and any other verb that meant to kill.

Narrowing his eyes at the starless sky above as he heard the door to the suite open and his mate and her sister enter, Kouga sighed longingly. Soon Kagome, you I will be together again, regardless of whether you forgive me or not.

As he felt his mate's arms embrace his waist from behind in a tight hug, he sighed again, silently counting the weeks, days, hours, and minutes until the arms that currently surrounded him with unfailing love and devotion were once again Kagome's.

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Simonkal of Inuy

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Staring up at the roof of his car, Inuyasha growled violently and punched his steering wheel repeatedly in an attempt to quiet the damned voice that kept replaying the squalid details of Kagome's life in Kyoto to him!

He hadn't wanted to hear anymore, but the blasted demon, he just kept talking as if he was cleansing his soul. And, even now, after he'd left the bastard in a bloody heap on the floor, he could still hear his voice recounting the sordid stories over, and over, and over as if it was a skipping record.

The things that she endured in the name of love… The manner in which she was used and discarded… It wasn't right! None of it, and he couldn't do a damn thing about it!

Initially, when the prick that called himself, Ginta, had started talking about ex-boyfriends, love, and a whole bunch of other high schoolish fairytale crap, the hanyou had thought that this was all bullshit and a waste of his fucking time. However, the longer the demon went on with his tale, the more corrupt it became. In the end, it had taken everything in him to not slit the fucker's neck!

Flashback

"She was an innocent, you know? When we met her, she had just graduated from Law School." Ginta chuckled dryly. "Shit, she still lived with her folks-I think her mother and grandfather, or something like that. If I had to guess, she probably never even had a boyfriend, let alone knew how to fuck one."

Inuyasha almost chuckled, but maintained his impassive facade.

"I'd like to think that he had good intentions in the beginning where Kagome was concerned, but the more that I think about it now, I have to admit that it seemed liked nothing more than a game to him." Ginta paused, took a drink, and then continued, "The entire time that she was falling in love with him, he was…he was doing whatever the hell he wanted to do and with whomever he chose to do it."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow to that, but didn't say anything. He just stared at the demon before him, waiting patiently for him to get to the reason of why he was stalking Kagome and why she needed protection. So far, it sounded like nothing more than a relationship gone astray.

Sitting back as the demon started again, the hanyou thought coolly and with a shrug of his shoulders, Shit happens.

"He'd make plans with her and stand her up on purpose. He'd disappear on her for days just because he could. Sometimes he would bet me and my brother 5 dollars-5…fucking…dollars-that he could go without calling or seeing her for two weeks and then just show up at her door, and he'd be fucking her that same night. He always won those bets."

Son of a…bitch, the hanyou thought, a scowl marring his brow. He'd heard of men doing some low shit to women, but that…that had to be one of the lowest fucking things that he'd ever heard of.

Ginta sat back and closed his eyes as if he had to think about what to say next, but when he opened his mouth…when he said…what he would, it would shatter Inuyasha's blasé exterior.

"A friend of ours was getting married, and he wanted one more night of freedom. So, we threw a bachelor party. Anyway, the girls that we got were hot, but Kouga decided he'd take it an additional step and give him something extra special."

The hanyou could feel his heart skip a beat, his mind unwilling to even consider what was about to come next.

"So, he called Kagome over to his apartment, lit some candles, put on some soft music… He made everything real romantic like, you know?"

I don't want to fucking know, the hanyou hissed silently, unable to do more than stare in bewilderment at the demon.

Ginta sighed heavily, and hung his head as if what he was about to say was the hardest thing he'd ever had to force out. "Anyway, once Kagome got to his place, he told us-me, my brother, and Dinshu, our friend that was getting married, to meet him there in 20 minutes. Since I took my own car and made a couple of stops on the way, it was over by the time I got there."

Inuyasha lunged forward, grabbing the youkai by his collar and dragging him up out of his seat and across the table. "What the fuck are you saying to me? Are you fucking telling me that fucker…that fucker let them rape her? Is…Is that what-"

Ginta didn't fight back, but he did speak up, cutting the hanyou off, "No, they didn't! He…he…let Dinshu fuck her."

Inuyasha tossed Ginta back in disgust as he sneered at him unable to do much more than that. Sitting back down, he glowered at the demon as his claws dug gauges into the wooden surface of the table. 

"When I pulled up, all of them, with the exception of Dinshu, were outside Kouga's building laughing. I asked them what they were laughing about and that's when they told me what Kouga had done."

"Holy fuck," the hanyou mumbled, staring at the youkai, who was sitting there, his shoulders slumped forward, his head down as if the weight of that night was just too much to bear.

"Dinshu and Kouga are basically the same build and body type. From behind, you honestly couldn't tell the two of them apart and being that Kagome was human… Well, your half youkai, you should know the rest."

"She couldn't tell them apart," Inuyasha stated rather than questioned.

"No, and Kouga knew she wouldn't be able to. So, he made sure the room was so dark that she couldn't see her hand in front of her face before he took her in there. Anyway, he did whatever he had to do to get her to undress and everything, and then he told her that he was going to get some whip cream, ice, or some shit along those lines. It was Dinshu that went back in there."

"You fucking bastard!" the hanyou roared, not caring who heard him. "You're just as fucking guilty as those fucking bastards are! You sat there and you let it fucking happen! You sit here and talk about it as if you had nothing to do it with it, but-"

Ginta cut him off, "Don't you see, I tried, I was the only one that tried to intervene, but it was too late! By the time I pushed past them and made my way up to Kouga's floor, Dinshu was leaving the apartment with a smile on his face!" Reaching up and tugging roughly at a patch of his hair as if he was trying to pull it out, he finished, "That bastard…that bastard told me… He said that I shouldn't disturb her because she was a more than a little worn out! He said… That sick fuck said that he wasn't sure if he was in her ass or her pussy but whichever it was, it was as tight as a baby's bottom!" 

Glancing up from the spot on the table that he'd been staring at throughout the duration of this part of his story, Ginta hissed, "I'm not a fighter, I've never been one. But that night, I tried to kill Dinshu's fucking ass! I punched him until my fists were bruised and bloody, and I kicked him, and I kicked him, and I kicked him until I was too exhausted to move, but I realized that it wouldn't change a damn thing…nothing. He'd still fucked Kagome. He'd still basically raped Kagome, and nothing that I did to him was going to change that."

Inuyasha stared at the demon, unable to blink or think past the inclination that anyone could be that cruel, loathsome, and downright corrupt. 

He couldn't…didn't want to believe that something like that had happened to Kagome…his Kagome…his friend. But he knew, he could tell from the tears in the demon's eyes that refused to fall that it was true, and that in itself was enough to break his heart and shatter what little faith he had left in man and demon-kind alike. 

"Ka…Kagome," the hanyou whispered as he balled his fists up so tight that his claws dug into his flesh. He could smell his blood tainting the air around him, but he couldn't make himself move in order to do anything about it.

Closing his eyes, Inuyasha inhaled deeply and questioned softly, "Did you tell her? Did you tell Kagome what happened?"

"I couldn't tell her," Ginta whispered. "It would've destroyed her, and I couldn't…I just couldn't do that to-"

Glaring across the table at the pathetic excuse for a demon, Inuyasha snapped, cutting him off, "So instead, you let them laugh at her. You let them snicker behind her back about how much of fool she was, didn't you? You let her go on thinking that bastard, Kouga, loved her. You let her be raped physically, emotionally, and socially and now you sit here with your higher than mighty ass as if you being here now is going to really make one bit of a fucking difference!" The hanyou chuckled eerily as he continued, "You're a fucking coward, you know that? You're a bitch, and you're a fucking punk!

Ginta stared at the half demon, the anger…the bitterness…the hostility he was feeling was a conspicuous thing. It gripped him, held him in place, and forced him to remain quiet. It told him that the only thing keeping him alive at this moment was nothing more than luck and the grace of whatever god still believed he had some good in him.

"You said you and her were friends…are friends. You've never been her friend, because if you were, you'd be in jail right now for killing those bastards! You…you fucking peace of shit cunt! You ain't nothing to Kagome, and never will be!" the hanyou finished, standing up abruptly from the table.

"You're right," Ginta admitted quietly. Noticing that the hanyou stopped moving and was listening, he continued, "I knew that night and all the days after that, when Kouga toyed with her and I let him that I wasn't a friend to her. But she still smiled at me and called me her big brother, and still…I did nothing different. I didn't do a damn thing to stop him."

Inuyasha's fists clenched, his ears pinned back as a ferocious growl escaped him, but he didn't move from where he stood with his back to the demon.

"When he had me set it up for his wife…his mate, whom he married while he and Kagome were together, to walk in on him and Kagome in bed, and I did it, I knew that I wasn't a friend to her. Because I couldn't tell him no, I knew that I wasn't a friend to her."

The hanyou growled low and mournful as the world around him blurred and twisted into something ugly and hideous. Still, the wolf youkai continued on.

"When I watched from the dark alley across the street from his building as Kagome came running out, half dressed, her cheek red and bruised from where someone had hit her and endless sorrowful tears streaking down her face, I knew that I wasn't a friend to her and that she would be better off without any of us in her life. When she collapsed in the street, her body weak and trembling with an ache and laden with sadness unlike anything I had felt before, I was glad. I was glad that I had done what he asked because that meant that she would leave him…us alone, and she could finally be happy."

Inuyasha's chest rose and fell, filled with rage and a fury unlike anything he'd felt before! This anger that was festering within him eclipsed any feelings of hatred and condemnation he had when he'd found out about Kikyo's betrayal!

How dare they play with her like that? How dare they toy with her as if she was nothing more than a fucking doll there for their amusement? he thought, his eyes unbeknownst to him, flashing red and then back to gold.

"When he told me to find her… When he started looking for her, I knew I had to do something. So, I prolonged the search as long as I could." Ginta stood up, and stepped out from behind the table. As he continued, his voice laced with desperation, he laid one hand on the hanyou's shoulder, "That's why I need to speak with Kagome. I need to apologize for all the things I did to her…that I let him do to her. I…I need to warn her that-"

Inuyasha turned, losing all coherent thought and control of his body. Gripping the wolf demon by the collar, he pounded his fist into his face repetitively, trying with all his might to break every bone he came in contact with.

He couldn't think past the image of Kagome collapsed in the middle of the street crying. He saw images of her in Hawaii, trying her damndest to punch and claw out his eyes as tears blurred her vision. He saw the pain behind her beautiful gaze, and it tore at him, causing him to pound even harder on the demon's face.

"Never," he growled fiercely as he picked the demon up and slammed him on the table, breaking it.

The hanyou saw images of a woman in love, making love to a faceless man. He saw her smiling and laughing as others around her looked on with condescending snide smirks while whispering disparaging comments about her, and he dropped to his knees straddling the demon as he furiously rammed the back of Ginta's head into the splintered table.

He felt people pulling at his jacket, his arms, but he didn't care! He had to stop Kagome's pain! He had to wash away that image of her tears…her pain! 

"Damn them," he heard someone growl viciously. It was in his head-he knew that much-but it wasn't him. It wasn't his voice, but he agreed whole heartedly. "Damn them," he hissed as he continued his assault. 

Why was it that he could feel her pain? Why was it that it felt so real to him that he could taste it and touch it? Why was it that the image of her broken and sobbing form destroyed his heart and cut his very soul to the core? 

"You…helped…him…break…her," the hanyou growled as he threw his hands up and began to clobber the wolf's face and chest. 

Right, left, right, left…

He wanted the pain to stop! He needed his pain…her pain… He needed both their pains to stop…to go away!

Right, left, right, left…

Somewhere in the back of his mind, as he continued to pummel the wolf demon, he heard someone shouting, "He's going to kill him! Call the police! Oh my god, call the police!"

The hanyou shook his head; his vision, his mind slowly coming back to the here and now. Glancing down at the demon that laid limp before him, his hand partially covering his bloodied face, Takahashi pushed himself to his feet and sneered down at the demon, his breathing heavy and ragged.

"Never," he hissed hatefully. "You'll never get within 1000 fucking feet of Kagome. Now run home you punk bitch, and tell that motherfucker Kouga and that Dinshu-dick sucker come see how tight my ass is!" 

Stepping back, he swiftly kicked the youkai in the hip as he spat on him and finished, "Takahashi Inuyasha-tell them to come find me!"

As he turned and stumbled away through the crowd that had gathered around the scene, the hanyou thought he heard the wolf youkai whisper, "Protect her," but he scoffed at that. 

If it cost him his life, he was going to make sure that none of those bastards ever got near her again.

End Flashback

He wasn't exactly sure when or how he'd gotten there, but he couldn't help himself as he started to beat feverishly on her door.

His knuckles were split, bruised, and bleeding and still he knocked. He didn't know what time it was and he didn't care, he just needed to see her and smell her. He needed to prove to his mind that she was alright, that the vision of the woman in his head, the women who those things had been done to wasn't her.

He heard her puppy barking fitfully, and he knew she was up, but still he knocked.

"Who…who is it?" he heard her question, her voice quivering as if she was scared of something.

"It's me," he replied in huff, his heart hammering against his rib cage.

An intemperate force buried deep within him was demanding that he touch her, smell her, do something to quell this rage that he was barely able to control.

He heard her release the top latch and then the bottom, but he couldn't wait for her to open the door. Reaching for the knob quickly, he turned it and pushed the door open, forcing her back against the wall.

Stepping through the doorway, Inuyasha stared around the dark room slowly as if looking for something or someone that wasn't supposed to be there. Slowly his eyes came to rest on her form, standing in the corner almost behind the door, staring at him.

Her eyes were wide with something that could have been misconstrued for fear, but deep down he knew it wasn't that. He somehow knew that she would probably never truly fear him.

"Wench," he rasped out hoarsely as he stepped towards her so quickly that he didn't feel it happen.

The next thing he knew, he had her wrapped in his arms. Her head was pressed protectively…possessively against his chest, and his nose was buried deeply in the roots of her hair.

Her scent wafted over him, calming him, soothing him, and reassuring him that she was alright. It assured him that, tonight, she wasn't that broken woman that Ginta had spoken of; it told him that, as long as he protected her, as long as he stayed near her, she'd be alright; even if he wasn't, she'd be alright.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he'd just crossed the line of friendship, but he needed this. In a very animalistic sort of way, one that dug so deep into crevices of his soul, into a part of him that he'd never explored before, he knew that he truly couldn't fight this.

In that one insular moment, he knew that, just as surely as he was breathing and his heart was beating, she was a vital part of his life…his very existence.

"Inu…Inuyasha?" Kagome questioned softly as she hesitantly brought her arms up to push fruitlessly against his firm chest. "Your eyes…why…why are they red?"

**Until Next Time…** (Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated.)

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**Next Chapter**: Structured Confusion

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_**Acknowledgments:**_ (All others have been sent PM's)

**Nathalee:** That's so good to know because you had me worrying there for a minute. You can't imagine Souta grown? Well…Nathalee, sweetie, everyone grows up. So, if Kagome, Inuyasha, Miroku, and Sango can grow and get old, don't you think it's only fair that the _kid _does too? (I'm messing with you) I'm so glad that you're still enjoying this fic and I hope that this chapter did not disappoint!! Isn't Kouga just a dirty rotten scoundrel? (ROFL) Thanks for your wonderful review my friend!!

**IrishIndy:** Thank you for your wonderful review, my new friend. I hope this chapter did not disappoint you in the least. If so, I'm all ears!!

**Evilgenius27:** I'm sorry for the long wait between updates, but from here and at least until October you should be getting a new chapter every week, or week and half depending on my betas. Thanks for your review and I seriously hope to hear more from you.

**Silver Door:** I don't even know what to say to you except, "Thank You." Your review was awesome and I'm so glad that… Well, gosh… You got me blushing and stuff, seriously. So much so, that I don't know what to say. I'm really glad that you're happy with my labor of love, and that I was able to break up the monotony of the drivel that this site generally produces. Wow, umm, thanks again.


	30. Structured Confusion

**A/N:** As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness!! I would like to thank all you for your wonderful outpour of sympathy and support. Though, I have to admit that that was not my intention when I posted the excerpt. A few of you sent me private emails, which I have read. I haven't responded to them because I don't really know what to say at this point. However, trust me; you will get a reply from me; even if it takes a year (lol). Seriously, thanks for your prayers and your well wishes, they really helped me a lot.

Anyway, I'm posting this chapter now because I'm going to be leaving for my Grandmother's funeral tomorrow and more than likely I'm going to M.I.A. for a while afterwards. Maybe a week, maybe two weeks, maybe a little more, but don't fret I have already written the next four or five chapters. I also want to say a very special thanks to my right hand woman, and my strength, Mama Neko. When I was at me weakest and simply wanted to curl up and die… When the darkness was trying to consume me, and my anger and rage wanted to remake me, you were there; thank you and know that you are adored.

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**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, Nola, Malcolm, and Dr. Aikio. All others belong to the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi.

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_**Chapter 30**_

_**Structured Confusion**_

_Darkness consumed and engulfed him like the cocoon of a caterpillar. He knew his eyes were open, but all he saw and felt was darkness surrounding him. It was so thick, so heavy that it weighed him down, almost smothering him… stifling him so that he could barely breathe._

_An ache unlike anything that he'd felt before gripped him, starting in his heart and spreading outward. It was devastating, soul shattering, and mind altering._

_He tried to think, to speak, to yell into the darkness, but no sound came out. The silence around him was a deafening thing in itself. _

_This place, it didn't make sense. _

_The darkness… The pain… The silence…_

_A severe ache bore down on him like a large boulder lying across his chest…his back…his shoulders, forcing him further into the unforgivable darkness that surrounded him._

Why? ­_he heard himself think, but he didn't understand why he would've even thought such a thing._

_"Why?" he heard someone else repeat as if mimicking his thoughts._

_His forehead was pressing into his knees, which were pulled up. Hugging them tighter to him as if he were a child, he tried to think…to understand, but that pain… That all too unfamiliar and unwarranted pain bore down on him once more, and the hanyou whimpered achingly as he dug his claws into his calves in an attempt to quell it._

I don't… I don't… I don't understand, _he stuttered silently as he reached up and wiped away a tear that he wasn't even aware he was shedding_.

_The room twisted, curled around itself, and brightened slowly from black to gray. His body could move, but the pain…that ache, it was still there taunting and tormenting him._

_Standing to his feet, Inuyasha took a step forward, or was it to the side? _

_He wasn't sure._

_He didn't care._

_This pain that he was feeling; it couldn't be his own. It couldn't have been his burden to bear, because he'd never in his life felt anything quite like this._

_He hadn't felt this when he was taunted in school. He hadn't felt anything like this when he was shunned by his school mates and people that he thought were his friends. When his new wife, Kikyo, broke his heart-that pain, it didn't compare to this. He'd felt pain when his parents died, but this-this beast that was ripping him apart from the inside out-it was a beast of a different breed._

_A sound floated to him as if it were merely an echo of a past memory. It was a voice-not a voice- a sound, a moan, a…a whimper and it drove him to his knees as the pain, which he was already feeling escalated tenfold, causing him to double over and clutch his stomach…his head…his chest._

_"What's going on?" he questioned weakly as he closed his eyes and tried to force the pain to subside._

"Why?" _he heard that voice whisper again, but this time he recognized it, and his head snapped up. _

_"Kagome"_

_She was close, real close…he knew that because all of a sudden her scent, laden with the salt of tears, rattled violently through him as he forced himself to his feet._

_"Ka…Kagome?"_

_He stepped forward, slowly at first._

_"Ka…Kagome," he repeated again weakly, hoping that by chance she would hear him._

_There was no reply._

_He heard her whimper brokenheartedly as a sob unlike anything he'd heard in all his life escaped her, and his feet-as if they had a mind of their own-started moving faster and faster towards that sound, that sob._

_"Ka…Kagome, I'm…" He swallowed, suffered through the rising burn in his chest as tears he couldn't explain spilled down his cheeks. "I'm coming. Ka…Kagome, I'm coming," he whispered hoarsely._

_He didn't know how long he had run or how far, but suddenly there she was…a few feet in front of him._

_She was sitting on the ground, her legs bent behind her, her head down and her shoulders slumped forward. Her jet black hair cascaded down her back and over her shoulders, shielding her face from his view, but he knew it was her._

_He knew the instant another moan escaped her… He knew the moment that her shoulders shook violently… He knew that this pain that he couldn't explain, this need he felt to cry-to weep-this was her doing. This was what she was feeling at this very moment._

_What didn't make sense to him was why he could feel it so vividly. Shaking that thought off, he whispered, "Ka…Kagome," as he stepped closer to her downtrodden form._

_She didn't move, nor did she acknowledge his presence even a little._

_He took another small step forward, but halted as she threw her head back and screamed into the bleak night sky. It was the cry of a dying soul, a mother who had lost her only child, a woman…a woman whose heart had been savagely ripped from her chest._

_"Kagome…don't…don't do that. Don't cry for him, he doesn't deserve it." He didn't know how he knew that she was crying over that bastard that Ginta had told him about, but somewhere, deep down, he knew that that was the irrefutable truth._

_Staring down at her, his heart breaking with every sob that escaped her, Inuyasha sighed lightly and avowed, "I'm here. I won't…I won't let them hurt you anymore," as he reached out his hand to touch her._

_As his hand passed through her solid form_, _the hanyou thought desperately as he stared down at his weeping friend, _She can't hear me_. _She…she doesn't know that I'm here.

_Knowing that there was nothing that he could physically do for her in her time of grief and need, Inuyasha groaned dejectedly as his shoulders slumped forward and his head lowered. _

_He wanted to help her so badly that it was literally destroying him from the inside out. But in this place, this weird world that he didn't recognize, he knew that there wasn't a damn thing that he could do, because she couldn't hear him and he…he couldn't touch her. _

_Squatting down in front of her, he smiled ruefully as he stared at her. _Even if she doesn't know that I'm here… Even if this is just some silly dream… Even though this pain that I'm feeling is not my own to bear, Kagome, I'll suffer through it for you…only for you, _he thought as he sat down before her quivering body, his legs crossed Indian style, his back straight, his head down, and his arms crossed over his chest. _For tonight and for as long as you need me, I'll bear this pain as if it were my own.

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_Simonkal of Inuy_

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Sunlight tugged at her eyelids, but she refused to give into it. The warmth that wrapped around her, the comfort that she felt at the moment was nice…almost too nice, but she didn't care to think about that as she snuggled a little closer into that warmth.

_Just a little longer, _Kagome thought serenely.

Something ran lightly over her back, causing her to whimper softly. Reaching down, she tugged at the blanket that was covering her lower back, but it moved just outside of her grasp.

She didn't think anything about that because her puppy had gotten into the habit of tugging her blanket onto the floor when he thought she was sleeping too long, he was hungry, or if he needed to go to the bathroom.

_Why the hell did I buy one of those again, _she questioned herself as she brought her hand up so that it was covering her eyes.

She heard a soft growl came from somewhere near her head, but her mind was too lethargic at the moment to attempt to figure it out. So instead, she mumbled to the little hellion of a puppy, "Inuyasha, I'll take you out in a minute, okay? Now be a good boy, and let mommy sleep a little longer."

She hadn't actually chosen a name for the dog just yet because all the ones that she wanted to call him didn't seem to fit his playful personality. So, she'd call him Inuyasha from time to time, but only when the hanyou in question wasn't around.

"Where are you going to take me?"

Kagome's eyes snapped open at the sound of the baritone voice that came from somewhere below her. _What the… _Pushing herself up quickly, she stared around the room that was supposed to be her bedroom, but wasn't.

"What the hell am I doing here?" the hanyou questioned unsurely, not moving from where he was laying. Staring up at Kagome, he blinked a few times in an attempt to fight the fogginess that seemed to control every inch of his mind.

Glancing slowly down at him, the shocked woman squeaked loudly and jumped up and off of his chest, where she had been previously laying.

"Inuyasha, what… What the hell! Why… How did…" she blustered as she scrambled to the opposite end of the couch. "Did you break in?"

"Yeah, I broke in, dragged you out of your bed half naked, and made you sleep on the couch with me," he snapped sarcastically as he rubbed his eyes with the balls of his hands.

Running his hand down his face, Takahashi pushed himself up so that he was leaning on his elbow. He had to admit that he didn't mind waking up with her wrapped in his arms. Yet the moment he realized that this wasn't a dream and that he was actually in her home on her couch inhaling her scent, it unnerved the hell out of him because he couldn't remember for the life of him just how he got there.

As much as he didn't want to, he remembered his conversation with the prick, Ginta, and he remembered beating the living shit out of him too, but after that… Well, after that, everything else was kind of a blur, for lack of a better word.

Pushing himself up further, he questioned softly, his eyes heavy with concern, "Kagome, what happened last night? Why am I here? When did I… Why the hell am I here?"

The happenings of the night before flooded back to her as she stared from his worried golden gaze down to his bandaged hands.

_That's right, he just showed up late last night. As soon as I opened the door, he hugged me. He…he wouldn't let me go. Even when I tried to leave to get something to clean the cuts on his hands, he was reluctant to let me go. He followed me… He followed me from room to room like…like, just like my puppy does. _

Staring at him quizzical, she realized by the absolute look of confusion and dismay on his face that he honestly didn't remember a thing that happened the night before, at least not from the point that he arrived at her house.

_I tried to ask him what happened to his hands, but he wouldn't answer me. He just stared at me with those… His eyes!!_

Leaping forward to where Inuyasha was sitting with his head down, Kagome grabbed his face and turned it towards her.

"Damn, Wench, what the hell are you-"

"Your eyes… Last night, they were blood red!"

Pulling his chin out of her hold, Inuyasha grumbled, "Red? Maybe I was just tired or something."

He wasn't trying to be mean or anything of the sort, but it seriously bothered the hell out of him that he couldn't remember what happened last night after he left the bar. And it wasn't just that. He vaguely remembered having a dream of some kind, but all he could recollect from it was a pain so vivid that he could still feel remnants of it deep down in the darkened crevices of his very soul.

"No, your eyes were red! Really, really red! Like tomato red, or crayon red, or blood red! Yeah, they were blood red with bright blue irises, baka!"

"Bullshit," the hanyou snapped as he stood to his feet in order to stretch his legs. Stretching his arms over his head, he finished, "Were you high or something last night?"

Standing up as well, Kagome stomped over to him. "Bullshit yourself, dog-boy! I know what I saw, and your eyes were red! Red as the blood that was all over your hands!" she shouted vehemently while jabbing him in his chest with her finger.

_Red? What the hell does she mean, red? _he thought as he stared down at the her.

He knew from the way that she was acting that she truly believed that his eyes were blood red or whatever other red she used as an example, but he'd never heard of such a thing. Rolling his neck slowly from right to left and back again as he arched and elongated his back, Takahashi decided quite quickly that he'd just add that to the rest of the things that had happened over the past 24 hours that just made absolutely no fucking sense to him.

Lifting his bandaged hands up so that they were eye level, he stared at them as a voice he despised floated through his mind.

_"When he had me set it up for his wife…his mate, whom he married while he and Kagome were together, to walk in on him and Kagome in bed…"_

Blinking a few times in order to dismiss that voice, Inuyasha continued to stare down at his bandaged hands. "Did…did you do this? Did you bandage this for me?"

"Of course I did," the young lady affirmed quickly as she took one of his hands in her own. Un-wrapping it slowly, she continued in a softer tone, "What happened last night, Inuyasha?" She didn't honestly believe that he would tell her, but she had to at least try.

Shrugging his shoulders as if it were the dumbest question he'd heard in his life, he replied, "Got in a fight."

Rolling her eyes, even though she knew he couldn't see it, Kagome quipped as she gently tugged at the gauze, "I know that, but with who and over what?"

He knew he couldn't tell her anything that was said to him last night because it would only serve to further the damage that prick had done. But if he kept this from her… If he held tight to the things that he knew, wouldn't that make him no better than that bastard, Ginta?

Sure, the punk-bitch hadn't actually taken part in any of the things that were done to her, but he didn't necessarily do one goddamn thing to stop it either. So, being that Inuyasha now knew about it and didn't tell her, didn't that make him just as guilty, if not more so?

Still, he couldn't… He just couldn't make himself hurt her anymore than they already had. He supposed that, for now, the things that he learned would have to be his burden to bear, and his alone.

Staring down at her as she flipped his hands over repeatedly as if she was astounded that his cuts had already healed, he realized that even though she hadn't brushed her teeth, combed her hair, or even washed her face just yet, she was still quite beautiful; radiant, actually. It caused him to ponder why anyone would want to maliciously hurt her…crush her heart in such a way? It didn't make sense to him, but he supposed that it probably never would.

"Inuyasha, I asked you a question."

Shaking off his thoughts, the hanyou responded acerbically, "Nobody important. Just some idiot I met at the bar. And, trust me, his ass deserved to be kicked."

"And why were the two of you fighting?"

Snatching his hand back from her, Inuyasha changed the subject abruptly, knowing that if he continued to answer her questions, even partly, she'd continue to ask them until she found out everything-along with a whole lot of other things that she didn't need to know. "Did you know that you snore?"

"Don't try to change-" Kagome started to say, but stopped. "No I don't! You're that one that growls in his sleep!"

Forcing a smile, the hanyou sat back down on the couch and reached for his shoes. "Yeah, that might be true, but I'm also half Inu, and you're all human; what's your excuse for snoring?"

Snorting, Kagome stomped off towards that kitchen as she called over her shoulder, "The next time you're all bruised and bloody, why don't you just bypass my house!"

"In my defense, I still don't know how the hell I ended up here, so if it happens again, you can't blame me," Inuyasha responded as he watched her take down two clean glasses from the cabinet and begin to fill them with some breakfast juice.

Staring at her, the hanyou couldn't stop the frown that formed on his face. _How could anyone treat her like that? How could that son of a bitch smile with her one minute and pass her around to his friends the next? How could he just use her? How…how could anyone use her like that?_

Turning away as she stepped back into the living room, Inuyasha stood back to his feet and took the glass that she offered. Not realizing that he was even thirsty, he gulped the liquid down in three swallows, and then questioned casually, "So, what did I tell you about naming your dog after me?" in an attempt to let her know that he was not about to let her forget that he heard her call that mutt by his name.

Kagome blushed and looked away abashedly. Tugging at the ends of her oversized t-shirt that fell to the middle of her thighs, she blustered, "I…I…"

Rolling his eyes, Inuyasha cut in, "I…I…shit! I told you don't name that mutt after me."

"Well, every name I come up with either you don't like or it doesn't fit him."

"Well, my name is _my_ name, Wench, so think harder," Inuyasha retorted with a smirk while flicking her playfully in the center of her forehead with his forefinger.

Kagome stepped back away from him, a thoughtful frown on her face. "Well, I did have this friend back in Kyoto. I'm sure he wouldn't mind me naming my puppy after him."

Snorting, Inuyasha bent down and set the empty glass he was holding on the table but didn't respond.

"Ginta, come here boy!" Kagome sang, kneeling in the direction of where the puppy in question had been laying.

The dog sat up and stared at her as if she had just lost her mind.

"Come here, Ginta! Come to mommy!" she tried again, patting her thighs lightly.

The pup moved this time, running straight towards her and leaping into her lap.

Inuyasha stared down at the scene without seeing it. All he heard was the name, Ginta. _Fuck no! Hell no! She ain't naming that fucking dog after that fucking coward! _

That was easy enough for him to deduce, but exactly how in the hell was he going to explain to her why he was so against it without her asking more of her fucking questions?

"I think he likes it, Inuyasha." Petting the chow pup, Kagome cooed, "I guess that's your name then, huh boy?"

"Hell no, it ain't his name," the hanyou snapped. "Pick something else!"

Standing up, the pup in her arms, Kagome stared at him, her brow marred. "What's wrong with Ginta? I like it and he was a really good friend to me."

Inuyasha growled low, wanting nothing more than to tell her how much of a prick that friend really was, but knowing he couldn't.

"That's stupid," he snapped as he turned away from her and walked towards the window so that she wouldn't see the truth written on his face. "Call it…Call it… Fuck, just call it any fucking thing except that!"

Staring at his back, Kagome couldn't help but to feel like she was missing something. Sure, he'd hated all the other names she'd thought of, but this… His reaction to Ginta just wasn't the same. He acted as if he knew him and he'd wronged him in some kind of way, which wasn't possible, unless he knew another Ginta or something.

Setting the dog down, she stated softly, "Well, Inuyasha, he is my dog so I think I can name him whatever I want to."

Ginta's words were playing in his head again when she cut in with her asinine excuse for why she wanted to name the dog after that piss-ant, and Inuyasha turned on her, lashing out, "Well if he's your fucking dog then why do you keep asking me what to fucking name him?"

Kagome stepped back, one eyebrow raised higher than the other. "I know it's early in the morning, but you are not going to yell at me like that," she stated calmly-almost too calmly. "And why are you so against it anyway? Do you know someone named Ginta? Did he bully you as a child?" The last question was asked out of spite because she seriously doubted that anyone would've been able to bully Inuyasha, even as a child.

The hanyou did his damndest to school his features, but he knew he was failing miserably. Just the thought of having that constant reminder of her past around, he couldn't live with that, not that he had to. But, if they were friends, then he'd be around the damn dog, and eventually he'd have to call the damn dog by its name!

No, he just wasn't going to be calling that prick's name and he wasn't going to have her calling his name either. Fuck that!

Staring at her, a scowl on his face, the hanyou stated sternly, "Think of another name because Ginta is a name for a punk-bitch."

Kagome scoffed derisively as she stared at him, her arms crossed beneath her full breast. "His name is Ginta and that's final."

"No, it's not!"

"Yes, it is!"

"No, the fuck it ain't!"

"Yes, the fuck it is!" Kagome snapped, her neck rotating pointedly.

Inuyasha glared at her, his eyes narrowed dangerously. _Stubborn bitch, _he hissed silently. He knew there was no possible way that he could win this one, but he had to try.

Throwing his hands in the air as if he was giving up, Inuyasha blurted, "Fine! Fucking fine, Kagome! If you want to name the miserable mutt Inuyasha, then go ahead, but not fucking Ginta!"

Kagome stared back at him, a slow smile blossoming over her face. "I…I can name him after you?" she asked skeptically.

"Keh, whatever," the hanyou griped bitterly, his arms crossed defiantly over his chest, his nose in the air.

Kagome squealed and charged towards him.

On reflex, and reflex alone, Inuyasha caught her as she slammed her body against his, throwing her arms around his neck in a tight hug.

Leaning back, she stared up at him and asked again, "Can I really name him after you? Really-really-really?"

As she laid her head on his shoulder, Inuyasha slowly brought his arms up to encircle her waist. "Uh, yeah, you can," he mumbled, a little thrown off by her reaction.

Kagome squealed again and leaned back, quickly planting her lips on his. "You're awesome, Inuyasha! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she shouted happily as she slammed her lips against his again and again and again, resulting in a chain of brief wet kisses that the hanyou couldn't react to since he could barely process the idea that she'd actually just kissed him, and for something so stupid.

"Ka…gome?" the hanyou questioned in bewilderment, his lips still puckered in anticipation of another kiss.

Releasing him, Kagome did a little sashay dance over to where her dog was but froze mid step as if she had just realized what she had done. Puckering her lips, she kissed the air directly in front of her as if she was replaying what she'd just done.

_No, I didn't…I didn't just… I kissed him! I kissed Takahashi!_ Turning to face the hanyou, her hand now covering her mouth, her eyes wide, she tried to say something but nothing came out.

Staring at the look of shock on his face, she didn't know what to think or to say, but the moment she saw that trademark smirk of his slide slowly on to his face, she knew she'd just given him every bit of ammunition he needed to taunt her.

"So," Inuyasha drawled. "If that gets me five kisses, what does-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence!" she shouted. Her face beet red, her fists clenched at her sides, she finished, "That was an accident! I didn't mean to do that! It just, it just-"

Grinning devilishly, the hanyou cut in teasingly, "You can't take it back now because I got you all over my face, Wench! I can taste you on my lips! It happened and you initiated it!"

"Inuyasha, I didn't… It was just that I was so happy," Kagome tried to explain, but she could tell from the look on his face that he wasn't willing to see her point of view. Besides, he was right. Regardless of how it happened, she'd kissed him and he'd let her.

Kagome looked up, a slow smile spreading across her face. "So what, I kissed you because I was happy, but you…you let me kiss you, Inuyasha, and you were upset! What does that mean?"

Chuckling huskily, the hanyou ignored her statement all together as he stepped slowly towards her.

His head down, back straight, bangs covering his eyes, Kagome stared at him wide eyed as he proceeded towards her, forcing her to step back. "What…what are you doing?"

"I'm happy. Doesn't that mean that I get to kiss you now?"

Stepping back again, Kagome bumped into the couch and fell backwards onto it. "No, no it doesn't!" He was so close, so quick, she didn't know what to do or how to react. "Inuyasha, what… Stop playing!" He leaned down, his bangs still covering his eyes, but he didn't respond; it was almost as if he didn't hear her.

He was a breath away, one hand resting on the arm of the sofa, the other on the back of the chair above and to the side of her head. Kagome sunk deeper into the couch, unable to tear her eyes away from his face, his lips… his neck.

"Inu…Inuyasha?"

Her scent in that instant switched and twisted, becoming something else altogether. At first he was only toying with her, planning on playing with her a little before he left to get ready for work, but her scent…it wafted over him, clogged his mind, his head and whispered sweet nothings in his ears.

He knew the kisses that she'd laid upon him were totally innocent, but he couldn't promise her that his would be, and, for that reason, as his head dipped closer to hers, as he felt her hands that were pushing against his chest give in and instead pull him closer, he opened his eyes, smiled down at her and kissed her in the center of her forehead.

Pulling back, he grabbed her by the arm with his right hand and pulled her to her feet as he declared softly, "Now we're even, Wench."

Kagome stared at him, baffled. She didn't know at which point she's decided that she'd wanted him to kiss her, but she had to admit that it was kind of a letdown that he didn't carry through.

"I gotta go get ready for work. But if you want, we can do something later," Inuyasha offered releasing her and stepping back.

"Umm…okay," the bewildered young woman replied. "If we do something it has to be lunch because I have that date tonight, remember?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. _That fucking date… _Starting towards the door, the hanyou quipped irritably, "Feh, whatever, but I can't do lunch today."

"Well, my date isn't until 8 tonight, so if you want…you could come over and we could…we could have dinner or something. I'll even cook."

Inuyasha turned, a confused look on his face. Was she actually asking him to come over and have dinner with her before she went out with that Hoko-guy?

"Nah, don't worry about it. Go out and have a good time. I'll probably just go check on Rin or something tonight."

She didn't know why it was that she wanted to see him, but she did. She really, really wanted to see him tonight. It was quite crazy actually. He hadn't even left her yet and just the mere thought of not seeing him for the rest of the day was making her miss him already.

"See, I always get nervous before these dates," she lied. "So, if you were here, then you could talk me through it. And, they never last longer than maybe thirty minutes, so if you came over before it, we could have dinner and then when I get back we could watch a movie or something, maybe," she finished skeptically.

Inuyasha actually smiled at that. She seriously wanted to see him that evening, and knowing that she had the date, she was doing her damndest to try to fit him in. Walking back towards her, the hanyou placed his hand on the side of her face as he ran his thumb softly over her cheekbone.

Staring her directly in the eyes, he questioned softly, "You want to cancel your date?"

Her head tilted into his touch of its own accord as she answered with a question of her own, "Do you want me…to cancel it?"

There was something in the way that she gazed back him. It could've been the flicker of her eyelids or the way she licked her lips before she whispered that question to him. It could've been the way she stared back at him, pleading with him to say something or do something to intervene. He didn't know what it was, but as he leaned down, the hand that had been resting gently on her cheek now guiding her head towards him, he couldn't stop himself…didn't want to stop himself.

Kagome didn't know why she'd asked what she did, but the response that she was getting…she hadn't expected it either. His nose rubbed lightly against hers as her eyes fluttered close. She could feel the warmth of his breath on her chin as his lips closed over hers gently once, twice, three times, but he never truly pulled away.

Her arms moved of their own accord to encircle his neck as she stepped up closer to him so that their bodies were pressed together. She felt his hand leave her head to roam down her back, and she shivered as she tried to step a little closer, knowing there was nowhere else for her to go.

His lips closed on hers again, and the power, the passion, the desire that was behind that kiss-their first kiss-was enough to make her knees weak.

They devoured each other's lips as if it was the first and the last things that either of them had ever tasted. Their tongues danced skillfully within each other's mouths, each one goading the other closer to the edge that neither of them would be able to turn back from.

Kagome moaned as he picked her up with such gentleness and strength that she almost didn't notice it.

The hanyou was lost in the feeling, the taste and the scent of her. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he knew he shouldn't be doing this, but he couldn't stop himself. She tasted so damn good. The feel of her in his arms-it was like she belonged there-forever there.

His hand traveled back up into the roots of her hair and tugged gently, forcing her head back as he held her to him with one hand, her legs now wrapped around his waist. Placing her up against the wall so that she was literally stuck between a wall and a horny hanyou, he left her mouth and made a slow, wet trail down and across her neck.

He raked his fangs over her soft flesh and reveled in the low moan the escaped her lips as she ground her hips against him.

"Inu…yasha," Kagome whispered. She couldn't think past the feel of his hands, his teeth, his tongue. His tongue made her forget that this was probably a really bad idea. His hands brushed away all thoughts of broken hearts and shattered dreams. The sensual feel of his skin…the heat from his body…

Arching towards him as she pulled him closer, Kagome whispered breathlessly, "Inu…"

He growled low as one of his hands moved down over her thighs to travel up beneath her shirt. The feel of her skin seared his fingers, his palms, and called his name, begging him to taste every single nerve of her body.

Inuyasha flicked out his tongue and tasted the side of her neck passionately, moments before he moved back to her mouth and began to devour her lips once more.

The sound of a soft tune cut through the haze of their passion, and the hanyou growled and tried to ignore it, but it kept playing over and over and over.

He stopped, glanced at Kagome, her hair wild, her eyes a blaze with desire.

"Don't," she whispered wantonly as she pulled him towards her while grinding into him.

He stared at her, bit down on his lower lip willing himself to continue, but that noise, that fucking song. Keeping Kagome pinned between the wall and his chest, he reached into his back pocket and grabbed his phone.

Apologizing with his eyes, he flipped it open quickly as the scent of Kagome's arousal attacked him, causing him to growl violently.

"What!"

Licking her lips, Kagome leaned in and began placing soft kisses along his neck as she allowed her hands to roam beneath his shirt.

Inuyasha shuddered under her ministrations and snapped, "I'm busy!"

She closed in on his Adam's apple as she allowed her manicured nails to run over the hard yet soft skin of his sides and back. She hadn't wanted their friendship to get to this point, and maybe tomorrow or later on today she would regret it, but she needed the attention, her body needed this…Inuyasha's attention.

"What the hell? Are you sure?" Inuyasha queried impatiently into the phone.

Leaning back as the fog of lust and desire began to fade slowly away, Kagome stared into the hanyou's face. She could tell that whatever was happening, or had happened, had something to do with business, and that it was important.

"Alright, damn it! I understand. I'll be there shortly." Closing the phone, Inuyasha stepped back away from the wall as he reluctantly stood Kagome up on her feet.

Running one hand down his face exasperatedly, he repeated repentantly as he reached out and pulled her towards him again, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so fucking sorry, fuck! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Resting her head on his shoulder as the wetness in her panties began to seep through, Kagome leaned back and asked, "Why are you sorry?"

"I have to go," he offered with a frown, not sure how she would take it.

"I figured that much," she replied, her cheeks pinking as she looked away.

Turning her face back towards him, he asked quietly, "Are you okay with this?"

"With what?"

"With what just happened or almost happened." Releasing her, he continued, "You're not going to get all weird on me, are you?"

Kagome frowned concernedly at him, but forced a smile just the same. "I'm fine."

The hanyou stared at her for a moment, uncertain as to whether he should believe her or not. Leaning in, he kissed her softly on the lips, once, twice, three times as she stepped towards him giving herself over to him once more. This time their kiss wasn't nearly as passionate, but it was nice, real nice, the hanyou admitted.

Stepping back regretfully, Inuyasha ran his hand gently down her cheek while questioning, "Do you still want me to come over after work, or have you changed your mind?"

"Are you sure you don't just want me to cancel it?" Kagome retorted, a nervous smile on her face as she listened to his cell phone jump to life again.

"That's up to you, but either way, I'll be here at 5:30," Inuyasha replied, pulling his cell out of his back pocket again.

Staring at him, Kagome didn't reply.

Glancing at her as he flipped it open, Inuyasha stated quickly, "Hold on." Turning his attention back to the woman that seemed to be lost in her own mind, he asked again, "Oi, what's up? Are you sure you're alright?"

Shaking off whatever had her distracted, Kagome forced a smile. "I'm fine. Go ahead and go, I'll see you at 5:30. Besides, I have to get dressed for work myself."

With a sigh, she watched as he proceeded out the door, lost in his conversation with whoever was on the other end of his cell phone.

Staring around her apartment that seemed to be even colder and lonelier than ever before, she frowned lightly as she ran the fingers of her right hand across her slightly swollen lips.

_Fuck, what did I do? Why didn't I stop myself? We're friends, that's it. I shouldn't have…I shouldn't have kissed him back. I shouldn't have wanted him to kiss me._

Picking up her puppy, she held him close to her chest as she stared at the closed door the hanyou had just exited through. Sighing heavily, she blinked a few times in order to still the tears she could feel building behind her eyes.

"I just ruined our friendship. We…we can't go back. I…I've ruined it."

**Until Next Time…** (Your .02 cents is greatly appreciated)

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**Next Chapter**: Not Yours

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**_Acknowledgements:_** (All others have been sent PM's)

**Starling:** Thanks for your wonderfully enthusiastic review, my new friend. I hope this chapter did not disappoint you.

**Dragonflyhuntress:** Thank you for your wonderful words of support in my time of need, my new friend, and thank you for your wonderful review.

**Lilyx13:** I'm so glad that you're enjoying this emotional rollercoaster ride, because it's only going to bumpier from here. Thanks for your wonderful review and support, my old friend. What was your name when you were reading Confrontations, because I honestly don't remember Lilyx13.

**Loulou4729 nsi:** I'm glad you enjoyed the restraint I had him show in the last chapter. I was kind of worried about that part, but as long as you enjoyed it, I did a good job. Thank you for your wonderful review and kind words.

**Kazunapikachu: **You've got a little too much sympathy for a demon that basically planned Kagome's heartbreak, don't you? (lol) Hold on to it though, because he'll need it badly. Thanks for your review, my new friend.

**IrishIndy:** You know what's weird, I didn't really set out to make Kouga look that bad, but when I started typing Ginta's view point of Kouga and Kags relationship, it just kind of came out that way. Don't worry; it's the truth (lol). You know what's funny, I actually like Kouga's character in the anime and the manga, but it's really nice to know that I can make a character I genuinely like into the ultimate asshole. Thanks for your review, my new friend.

**Lynzi18:** You wanted a hint, well here it is: Someone is going to get seriously hurt, someone is going to die, someone is going to have twins, someone is going to almost…almost… Nah, I can't tell you the rest, you won't be able to handle it…lol. Thanks for your wonderful review and stay tune, I already have the next 4 chapters written, I think.


	31. Not Yours

**A/N**: As always all characters will be that fine line called OOCness. Well, I wasn't going to post this chapter until this weekend, but I decided that since you guys have been so gracious with your reviews as well as your well wishes, and because I just completed chapter 34, which I thoroughly enjoyed writing, I might as well go ahead and just do it. Anyway, I'm feeling much better, though I'm sure it will be awhile before I'm back to my old self, but I'm here and I'm writing, so please keep reviewing. I want to thank you all for your wonderful reviews and support, and I want to especially thank my wonderful friend and beta, Mama Neko, for her wonderful support and devotion. Stay blessed to all of you.

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**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership of anyone with the exception of Nya, Nola, Malcolm, Dinshu, and Dr. Aikio.

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**Chapter 31:**

_**Not Yours**_

Nya glared at the small stack of 8 and half by 11'' papers she'd been holding in her hand for the past 20 minutes. As hard as she tried, she couldn't in all honesty wrap her head around it.

Standing up from her desk, she quickly made her way into the hanyou's office and over to the file cabinet that housed his personal information. Unlocking it with one of the two keys in existence, she quickly rifled through the top drawer for his credit card and banking statements for the past 6 months.

There can't be any more of these damn charges. I wouldn't have missed them; I'm not that lax in my job, she thought angrily, feeling as if this had to be some kind of sick joke.

Pulling out the two files-one that held his credit card statements, the other his bank statements-Nya quickly closed the drawer and made her way over to the hanyou's huge mahogany desk.

Sliding into his chair, she began flipping quickly through the file holding Inuyasha's personal bank statements.

Skimming the first statement quickly, she surmised, Okay, so this one looks good. Moving to the next statement, she quickly used the calculator mounted on his desk to do the math, and decided, This one is fine too.

Her spirit started to lift slightly. Okay, so maybe he won't fire me. He'll just curse me out like the pathetic bitch that I am, and demote me to the world's worst assistant ever, she thought agitatedly as she slipped the two statements she'd already looked through back into the file before moving on to the next one.

Scanning it quickly, she noticed that outside of his paychecks and the interest from the stocks that he owned being deposited into his account, there really wasn't any activity at all. So, she did the math once more, making sure that the total from last month and the total for the current month that she was going over meshed.

They did, so she slid that one into the folder as well.

Slouching back in Inuyasha's plush, high back leather chair, Nya sighed heavily as she ran her long, elegant fingers through her newly highlighted and cropped mane.

Today wasn't supposed to be like this! She was supposed to come in, pay her boss's personal bills, make sure that all of his account balances were where they were supposed to be, and then send a monthly check to the orphanage that the hanyou had basically adopted. She did the same thing every month, but this time…this morning…

"Shit!" she ground out furiously as she sat forward and pulled the next statement towards her.

It all started with that one call from American Express Black Card Customer Service. Sure, the lady was nice enough, they always were when they called, but the woman had basically turned her day upside down.

Flashback

Setting her cup of coffee down on the coaster on her desk, Nya continued to hum a song that she'd heard on her ride to work.

She knew her boss, Takahashi Inuyasha, wouldn't be in until about ten or so, since he didn't have any appointments scheduled until then. So, she decided that she would go ahead and get the humdrum end of month activities done early, that way she could sit in on the meeting with their new potential client.

She loved those meetings because she could watch the brothers in action, and in return, learn more herself. Sure, she enjoyed being the hanyou's right hand, and he definitely paid her well, but she wanted to one day have an assistant of her own. Therefore, whenever the chance to learn something new about the company presented itself, she made sure she took advantage of it.

After punching in her password for her computer, she sat back and waited for the flat screen monitor to turn from black to blue so that she could log into Inuyasha's bank account and schedule the amounts and dates for payments due.

Leaning forward, she quickly doubled clicked on the internet explorer icon to go online, and then immediately began typing in the name of his bank, but stopped as the phone on her desk sang to life.

Staring at it, Nya pondered on whether to answer it or not, but quickly decided that she better because there was a good chance that it was her husband calling to let her know that he'd locked himself out the house again, which he did often. It could've also been Takahashi calling to have her reschedule his appointments, which was something that he'd been doing a lot lately.

"Moshi-Moshi, Takahashi Inuyasha's office. How may I help you?"

"Konnichiwa, my name is Ria and I'm calling from American Express Black for Takahashi-sama. Is he available?"

Balancing the phone between her shoulder and ear, Nya stated as she continued to gain access to the online bank account, "No he's not, but I can help you. My name is Musaki Nya. My password is Sophisticated-twat."

"One moment, Ma'am, let me verify that."

Nya was practically ignoring the woman at this point because they always called a few times a month.

They would call to let Inuyasha know how many frequent flyer miles he'd racked up or to question as to why he hadn't used his card in the past thirty days. On a few occasions, which weren't rare, they would call to let him know about an upcoming concert or an upscale restaurant that was opening within the area that they could get him a table at or a ticket for. She figured this call would be no different.

"Musaki-san, I have verified your information, and I would be more than happy to discuss the account with you."

"Sure, I'm listening. Is it a new restaurant, or is it Rolling Stones tickets?" Nya questioned sarcastically as she reached into her briefcase and pulled out the stack of bills she'd taken home with her the night before to look over.

"No, actually, our fraud department has brought a few charges to our attention, and we need to discuss them," the Customer Service Rep, Ria, stated softly into the phone.

Setting the bills down, Nya removed the phone from her ear and stared at it as if she thought she hadn't just heard what she knew she had. "Ex…excuse me? Did you say fraudulent…charges?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

Sitting up straighter, Nya finally gave the woman her undivided attention. This has to be some kind of mistake. No one has Inuyasha's credit card info but him, she thought as she tried to swallow past the lump that was developing in her throat.

"There have been a few charges within the past 14 days that seem out of the ordinary. The first one is at a bistro of some type on Laguna Beach, CA; it's for a total of $325.77."

Nya sat forward. "Did you say, Laguna Beach, CA?" She didn't really care about the amount because there had been months where the hanyou in question would charge hundreds of thousands of dollars on the card and then he'd go months without charging anything, but the fact that she said Laguna Beach… Well that was crazy because he hadn't been in the states in more than two years!

"Yes Ma'am, Laguna Beach, CA. Has Takahashi-sama been doing some traveling lately?"

"N…no, he hasn't."

"Would you like me to declare that charge as fraudulent?"

Nya swallowed hard. Was it possible that Inuyasha could have given his card to someone to use? Could he have lost it? What if it was- Cutting off her idiotic thoughts abruptly since she knew she was merely grasping at straws, she decided quickly, "Yes, please do."

"Yes Ma'am. There is another charge for $2517.90 at a variety store in Las Vegas, NV that same day, but 8 hours apart," Ria stated. "What would you like me to do?"

"Declare it as fraud," Nya snapped, totally annoyed that anyone would try to use her boss in such away.

Sure, she knew that, if she wanted to, she could easily let this slide, do away with the card number, order Inuyasha a new card, and he'd know nothing about it. However, if this person got one over on him, then he or she was getting one over on her as well, and she wasn't about to let that happen.

"There are a few more charges that I need to confer with you about," Ria continued softly, as if she thought she was about to get yelled at.

"Please continue," Nya ordered as she quickly picked up a pen and started jotting down the pertinent information.

"Well, there's one for a pet store in Tokyo, but it's only for $45.22. There's another one that same day-and this is what alerted us that there maybe fraudulent activity happening-it is for $125,000.00 at a Mercedes dealership."

Nya gasped and stood abruptly to her feet. "What the hell! I know you bakas didn't approve that!"

"No Ma'am, we didn't. We made the dealership's finance office call us. However, when we spoke with the gentlemen attempting to use the card, he couldn't verify any of Takahasi-sama's information, so we denied it. As you know that is not our normal procedure. Being a Black Card member there is no limit and also no need for pre-approval, but because there was two charges the same day at different ends of the earth, we red-flagged the account for further vetting."

Nya could barely catch her breath. Who could be doing this? Who the hell could've gotten Inuyasha's credit card information? Who the hell would have had the balls to fuck with the Takahashis? she thought.

Slamming her hand on the desk in front of her, Nya confirmed vehemently, "Ria, that's your name, right?"

"Yes…yes Ma'am?"

"Here's what I want you to do. I'm going to give you my fax number and I want you to fax a copy of all of the charges that are in dispute. Once you do that, I want you or your fraud department to go through the past six months of Takahashi-sama's statements, and anything occurring in the States is to be considered fraudulent activity, with the exception of Hawaii, which is the only place outside of Japan that he has traveled to in that time. Once that is done, send me a fax totaling the amount that was stolen from him."

"Ma'am that's going to take-"

Cutting her off abrasively, Nya hissed, "I don't give a shit how long that's going to take! Someone has been stealing from my boss and making me look like an idiot! I want to know how much they've stolen, where they spent, what they stole, how they signed Takahashi's name, and what the fuck they were wearing when they did it! Got it?"

"Yes, yes, Ma'am."

Sneering at the wall before her, Nya fumed, "When the bastards that did this are caught, I want them prosecuted to full extent of the law, understand?"

"Yes, Ma'am, but there is one more charge, I need to bring to your attention."

"If it took place in the states, then I already told you what to do with it!"

"Well…well, it doesn't really take place in the states. It's…it's for a first class flight for two from Los Angeles, CA for Tokyo, Japan."

Her mind wouldn't let the dots connect; it wouldn't let her put two and two together, even though she knew deep down that with all of this revolving around CA, there was only one person on the face of the planet that could have even had a chance of getting the hanyou's information. But she…she had been M.I.A for some time now. It would've been stupid for her to show her face now and like this, wouldn't it?

No, she had to be over thinking this, but she knew deep down in the bowels of her lower intestines that it couldn't be anyone else.

"Cancel it," Nya growled viciously. "And shut off that card and all the cards connected to it, if there are more. I want a brand new card sent with a new number to his business address within the next 24 hours." Picking up her cup of coffee that she'd bought on her way upstairs, she swallowed, rewetting her parched throat as she finished, "And from this point on Ria, I want a flag to remain on this account. Unless myself or Takahashi-sama calls in to inform your company that he will be traveling out of the country, no charges are to be approved without a call to your fraud department, followed by a call to me. Do we understand each other, Ria?"

End Flashback

Nya stared down at the mess of papers that she had spread out all over Inuyasha's desk. The charges hadn't started until the current statement that was yet to be sent to them, which was a good thing, and all of the money in his bank account was accounted for, but she was still pissing mad.

Those sons of bitches, she thought angrily as she stared down at the faxed document she received earlier that morning.

The only thing she hated more than a thief and a cheater was a fucking liar, and this prick-if it was the dead bitch she thought it was-she could hardly wait to get her fucking hands around her crooked little neck.

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**_Simonkal of Inuy_**

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Inuyasha stood from the seat he'd taken the moment he'd stepped into the conference room. He was glad that the meeting had gone so well and doubly glad that said meeting was now over because now perhaps he'd get a chance to think about the happenings of the night before.

"Mr. Walcot, it was a pleasure meeting you, and I'm sure that we're going to work well together," the hanyou declared, holding his hand out for the American gentlemen to shake.

"Yes, I'm sure that we will," the American affirmed as he firmly shook the hanyou's hand, and then quickly turned towards Sesshomaru.

Inuyasha stated as he watched his brother shake the man's hand, "We'll have our Attorney draw up the agreement and have it sent to you for your approval and signature by the end of the week."

"That would be perfect, Mr. Takahashi," the gentleman offered, bowing his head in Inuyasha's direction.

"Indeed," Sesshomaru chimed in as he stepped around the man and towards the door. "Jakken," he called. "Escort Mr. Walcot downstairs, and make sure that the car takes him wherever it is he wishes to go."

Inuyasha didn't need to see the little suck up to know that he'd practically broken his neck to get to the door at the sound of his brother's voice. Instead, he turned his attention inward in hopes of clearing up some of the things that had happened the night before.

He knew the story that Ginta told him would have to wait, because in all honesty it was what it was, lock stock and barrel. The only thing that he could do about that was make sure that Kagome didn't fall back in with that prick, Kouga. He'd also have to make a decision as to whether it was something that he would eventually tell her.

The next thing he needed to figure out-or rather try to understand-was why Kagome would say that his eyes had turned red and his irises bright blue. He'd honestly never heard of such a thing. What could it mean? And if it happened, why the hell did it happen?

Sighing heavily, the hanyou sat back down in the chair he'd recently vacated and waited for his brother to reenter the office, so that they could debrief and prepare for their next meeting. They were going to be interviewing some potential law firms since they were still in desperate need of an Attorney.

Sure, Kagome was filling in for now, but in the beginning she'd made it quite clear that she had no plans of working for them full time, and he wasn't about to force her into it.

That brought the hanyou to the third thing, or rather person, he needed to figure out; Kagome. What the hell had happened between them earlier that morning?

Okay, so maybe that was a stupid question; he knew quite clearly what had happened between them, but after he'd left and had a few minutes to think, he couldn't stop himself from thinking that it was a massive…astronomical mistake.

Not because he hadn't wanted it to happen, but because he now knew the history behind her broken heart. He knew that if he went there with her, she'd want more. She'd deserve much more than he was willing to give.

He would never deny the fact that he cared about her, but eventually, if they had sex, fucked, made love-whatever you want to call it-her feelings would become twisted. She would be expecting him to be in some kind of monogamous relationship with her, and that was something that his head and his heart just weren't ready for.

On the drive to work, he'd thought about just ignoring her calls all together, but he remembered that that was the same thing that the prick Kouga had done, and he couldn't do that to her-not again. He'd thought about telling her that things had gotten out of hand and that it could never happen again, but he'd rethought that as well because that would've made him sound like a pathetic wimp and he definitely wasn't that.

As crazy as he knew it was, he'd even entertained the thought of telling her that he was seeing someone, but that was quickly dismissed as well. He may have been a lot of things, but he wasn't a bold faced liar.

After coming to that realization, he admitted to himself in a roundabout way that yes, he liked spending time with her. Yes, he enjoyed her laughter. Yes, just the thought of her was enough to brighten his day. Yes, she was the first thing he thought about in the morning and the last thing at night. Yes, he was elated at the knowledge that he'd woken up with her in his arms earlier that morning. Yes, the thought of her being hurt or even sad broke his heart. Yes, he missed her when he was away from her for too long, but none of that, absolutely none of that meant a damn thing, did it?

Loosening the tie around his neck, the hanyou leaned forward, his elbows resting on his parted knees, and his head down. That was the problem, wasn't it? No matter how much he told himself that he didn't want to be with her like that or that he wasn't ready, it was like his actions… Actions he couldn't control, said something totally different.

Even now as he sat here telling himself that he didn't want to be with her, in the back of his mind, he knew he was praying that she'd call and say that she didn't hate him for walking out on her like he did. Even more to the point, as he was getting ready to take his shower that morning, he actually verbally debated with himself on whether he should or shouldn't shower because he didn't want to wash her scent away.

In the end, he decided that that was stupid because her scent was ingrained in his mind as if it were his very own. On the other hand, there was something about having it, her scent, her essence, all over him, beneath his claws, on his lips, the taste of her on his tongue-there was just something very animalistic about wanting that to remain with him forever.

The hanyou knew that he was literally getting nowhere fast with his chain of thought because he wasn't any closer to figuring out a damn thing that happened in the last 24 hours then he was 24 hours ago.

"That went well," Sesshomaru avowed blandly as he stepped back into the office, closing the door behind him.

Not even glancing up at his older brother, the hanyou blurted without even thinking about it, "Oi, what do you know about 'red eyes'".

"Buy some eye drops," the full demon quipped mildly as he reached into the small refrigerator above the bar and pulled out a bottle of water.

Growling, the hanyou rolled his eyes and clarified, already hating that he'd even broached the topic with this moron, "Not that type of red eyes, Asshole. I mean…" He stumbled, seriously tried to rethink his line of questioning before deciding that if anyone would know, his brother would, regardless of how much of a prick he was. Kissing his teeth, Inuyasha tried again, "Have you ever heard of a demon's eyes turning red?"

Turning so that he was facing his younger brother, who for once seemed to be in serious need of advice, Sesshomaru strolled over to the opposite side of the table and sat down. "Well, I've heard stories from father that at times when a demon is really furious their eyes may turn red, but that is mostly when they are about to take on their animal form. Why do you ask, Inuyasha?"

"Just wondering," the hanyou mumbled as he sat back, his legs crossed at his ankles. Chewing thoughtfully on his bottom lip, he glanced up at his brother and questioned, "So, how mad would this demon have to be? And would he or she remember what took place during that time?"

One eyebrow raised higher than the other, Sesshomaru stared as his little brother wondering exactly where he was going with this line of questioning and if there was a meaningful point to it all.

If the full demon hated anything, he absolutely loathed wasting his time.

"Personally, Inuyasha, I haven't experienced that outside of the few times that I've gone in and out of my animal form. However, I will say that, while in that form, it is rather hard to focus or maintain a constant chain of thought. So perhaps the answer to your question is no, the demon wouldn't remember." Setting the half empty bottle of water down on the coaster, Sesshomaru leaned forward and queried, "Do you think you've experienced this?"

Feeling like Sesshomaru was merely patronizing him, the hanyou stood up and stalked towards the window at the far end of the conference room, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his navy blue slacks. "Forget I ever asked about it okay. It doesn't matter anyway."

Leaning back in his chair, Sesshomaru watched his brother closely out of the corner of his eye, but didn't comment right away as he began to leaf through the file of the first law firm representative that would be coming in.

"When did your eyes turn red, Inuyasha?"

"I never said that they did."

"You wouldn't be asking about it if they hadn't," Sesshomaru retorted quickly as he flipped through the Law Firms portfolio and sat back in his chair.

"I said forget about it, didn't I?" the hanyou snapped.

Sesshomaru had always prided himself on his ability to not care about other people's affairs-especially his brother's-but after the debacle of a wedding, he had unwillingly decided that maybe he needed to pay just a little more attention to the hanyou's affairs. Just not so much that it would make a huge difference or even be noticed.

"Since I have never heard of a hanyou having the ability to transform, I would venture to guess that it was your demon blood."

Turning to face his brother, Inuyasha frowned and mimicked, "Demon blood?"

"Yes, baka, your demon blood." Sesshomaru clarified as if he was talking to a preschool class filled with ignorant hanyous, "You're two halves of a whole, so one would think that at times one blood can be stronger than the other. For instance, Inuyasha, on your human night, your human blood takes over. So depending on exactly what you were doing when your eyes turned red, I believe that it's fair to say that your demon blood took over, and that is probably your version of transforming."

That makes sense, the hanyou thought, but he would never openly admit it. Turning back to the window, he stared at his reflection and tried to envision what Kagome saw last night when she opened the door for him, but for the life of him, he just couldn't.

"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru called, and then continued, "Perhaps you should go see Totosai. If anyone will have the answers you're seeking, he would."

"Fat chance, Bastard," Inuyasha grumped as he shuffled back over to the table deciding quickly that the last thing he wanted to do was have a talk with his idiot Godfather, and the oldest and closest friend of his deceased father.

The old coot was a complete quack with the worst case of selective amnesia he'd ever seen in his life!

When he was a child of about 8, Inuyasha's parents would make him go up to the mountains to spend time with the old man. Totosai would make him do all kinds of asinine manual labor type stuff, like digging useless trenches with his hands and chopping down large tree branches for his forever burning fire.

On one of those occasions, Totosai had ordered the hanyou to move some large boulders that were twice his size from one end of his rock garden to the other, only to yell at him later for actually doing it. He'd even gone so far as to demand that he move them back.

On another occasion, when the hanyou was a little older-about 10 or so-he'd gone to visit him at his mother's insistence. They had gone on what was supposed to be a day's hike and ended up lost in the woods for three fucking days because the old codger couldn't remember the way back home. Every time that Inuyasha tried to tell him they should go in a particular direction because it smelled familiar, he'd shush him and say, "You're only a hanyou, your nose don't work as well as mine. Now shut up and listen to your elder!"

The last time that Inuyasha had actually gone up there to spend some time with the geezer, he'd just turned 16. Totosai had told him almost immediately that his hot water pipes had busted, so, in order for him to take his therapeutic bath, he needed him to bring in water from the large cooking pot that resembled a miniature tank, which he had outside.

At first Inuyasha wasn't upset about it because it was a well known fact that the man had a really bad case of Rheumatoid Arthritis, but when he saw the size of the tub that he was supposed to fill, he almost had a stroke. In the end, it had taken him a total of 30 plus trips back and forth from the tub to the damn tank! And after all that, the prick had the audacity to ask him why he'd used all of his hot water filling the tub, when there was nothing wrong with the pipes!

Even now, thinking back to those times was enough to raise the hanyou's ire. He still didn't understand why the old man acted the way he did. From the way that his father talked about him, the man was a whiz with anything dealing with steel of any kind, and was even the famed creator of his and his brother's swords, Tetsusaiga and Tensaiga.

Brushing those thoughts off, the hanyou hissed to himself, Nope, it would definitely be a cold day in hell before I visit his ass again. That bastard would probably demand that I rebuild his whole fucking house in one weekend. Nope, not going; I don't care how many answers he has.

"Well, if you don't talk to him then I honestly don't know what to tell you, Inuyasha."

"Feh, fuck it; I'll figure it out myself, the same way I figure out everything," the hanyou retorted as he sensed an all too familiar aura moving steadily, or was it waddling towards the door of the conference room.

"How, with a bottle of cheap whisky and a couple of whores?" Sesshomaru questioned condescendingly as he stood to his feet and stepped towards the door.

"Keh, whatever works, right?" Inuyasha quipped as he stood up as well. Smirking as the door opened slowly, he tilted his head slightly to the side and forced himself not to push his brother out of the way in order to greet their new guest.

"Rin," Sesshomaru acknowledged a soft smile on his face as he walked up to her. Leaning in, he placed a chaste kiss to her forehead while taking her hand in his in an attempted to guide her around the table so that she could sit down.

"Husband," she replied cheekily as she reached down and rubbed her protruding belly. Turning her attention away from him, she reached out a hand to Inuyasha as she greeted, "Lover, how have you been? I haven't talked to you in forever it seems."

He hated the fact that his brother's wife and mate could actually make him blush, but she could, so he did what he always did. Taking the hand she offered, he greeted her softly as he hugged her to him as much as he could without crushing her belly, "So you've missed me, I see."

"I always miss you, Inuyasha," she replied as she leaned back and ran her hand gently over his flushed cheeks. "I loved the flowers you sent me, and there's no need to worry, all was forgiven before it even happened," she finished, talking about the flowers he'd sent to her a few days after their falling out over Shaarione.

Sesshomaru let go of his wife's other hand and sighed. If he didn't know any better he would've sworn by all that was holy that his wife and brother were having an affair or something behind his back, or was it right in front of his face? But he knew neither of them was foolish enough to attempt such a thing because he would surely kill them both without batting an eye. But, even more than that, he knew his wife only had one heart and it belonged only to him in its entirety.

As for his brother, well, Inuyasha did a lot of messed up things, but Sesshomaru knew that crossing that line would never be one of them.

Pulling out a chair for her, Sesshomaru cleared his throat in order to advise them that he'd had just about enough of their endearing antics. "Rin, perhaps you should sit down. We have much to discuss before the first candidates arrive," he stated, since she had basically demanded to be a part of this hiring process.

Releasing Inuyasha, she reached for her husband and leaned heavily on him as he situated her into the seat to the left of him.

Taking his own seat, Inuyasha watched with envious eyes as his brother whispered something softly into Rin's ear causing her to blush and playfully swat him away, her cheeks inflamed with a brilliant hue of rosy red.

Kagome, he thought absently as he looked away from the two to them, his heart torn between the things he knew he wanted and the things he was to afraid to admit that he needed. One day… Someday… maybe…maybe it will be my turn...maybe.

**Until Next Time…** (Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated!!)

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**A/A/N:** Since I didn't touch on this at all in Inuyasha's portion of this chapter, I'll tell you, no, Nya did not tell Inuyasha about the charges to his credit card, maybe she'll tell him in the next chapter…maybe. (lol)

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**Next Chapter:** Hate

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**Acknowledgments:** All others have been sent PM's

**Jin:** You wanted to know what the dream was about, well, I'm not telling you. You're going to have reread that portion of the last chapter to get it. But I assure you, it has significant meaning. Anywho, thanks for your wonderful review and I hope you sincerely continue to do so.

**EvilGenius27:** (Bows gratefully) Thank you so much for your wonderful review. I've always hated when authors push Kags and Inu together in the first two or three chapters, so when I started writing this one, I promised myself that regardless of how much I get flamed I was going to take my time and give them a realistic beginning even if it took 100 chapters to do so. Now, I'm not saying that it will, but I'm not rushing anything either, because in real life, it just doesn't work that way.

**Lacey:** Thank you so much, Lacey. My writing skill-if I actually have any-comes from a very vivid imagination and a lot of life experiences, and also my own fair share of broken hearts. So, seriously, thank you and I hope you continue to read and review, I think I'm going to enjoy your emails.

**Lynzie18:** Thanks for your wonderful review, my new friend. Now I don't want you to get your hopes too high, so remember that everything that comes together must be torn asunder. I'm just saying…lol.

**MBC:** Your really excited about a kiss, aren't you? (lol) You act as if they had sex or something…hehehehe. Anyway, hold on to that excitement because you're going to need it (winks). Thanks for your review, my new friend; I hope to hear more from you soon.

**IrishIndy:** You're disappointed that Inu didn't at least tell Kags some of what he heard? Well, think about it, how could Inu really tell her that he knows about Kouga without her getting defensive? How is he supposed to tell her that the man she was in loved with passed her around like a cheap toco? In a perfect world, he may have spilled his guts, but in the world of Heart's Landfill…nothing perfect. My friend, that's not an easy topic to broach, but he will, trust me. He might not have a choice in the end…lol. Thank you so much for your wonderful review.


	32. Hate

**A/N:** As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness. **Lemon Warning!!** I mean seriously people, you've been warned. For those of you that don't do lemons, skip the second part of this chapter. First, and foremost, I would like to thank all of you for your continued support, and, yes I am thanking those you who are reading, but not reviewing (wags finger). Other than that, I don't have much else to say, with the exception of a 'ginormous' thanks to my beautiful beta, Neko.

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**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Dinshu, Nola, Nya, Malcolm, and Dr. Aikio.

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**Chapter 32**

_**Hate**_

Staring at her reflection, Kagome tried to smile the way she was going to smile at her date in a few hours, but she failed miserably.

She had tried all day to hold on to some of the happiness that Inuyasha had unknowingly brought into her life. Then she remembered that they'd crossed the friendship-line so severely this morning that they couldn't go back to the way it had been.

There was no possible way that he was going to forget the way she reacted to him, and she wasn't…couldn't get the feel of his hands, the taste of his mouth, or the lust in his eyes out of her head.

No, she knew they could never go back, but she couldn't…they couldn't move forward; it wasn't possible. He didn't want that-at least he'd never said as much-and she…she just wasn't ready for that.

Turning in the full length mirror, Kagome arched her back and ran her hand down and over her waist to her hips, smoothing out the material of the elegant, black, halter top dress that she'd decided to wear on her date.

Inuyasha hadn't called her all day, had he? When normally, they would've talked at least a few times, if only briefly, so that led her to believe that maybe he was thinking along the same lines that she was.

She couldn't say that the thought of that made her happy because quite honestly it didn't. However, a tiny voice in the back of her mind told her that maybe she should be thankful for small gifts because, if it meant what she thought it meant, then he was actually doing her a favor, right?

So if that was the case, then why did she feel like crying? Why did she feel like he'd just broken her heart when she'd never given it to him in the first place?

Blinking a few times, Kagome ran the balls of her middle fingers over her lower eyelids in order to make sure that the tears that she knew were waiting to be released hadn't started to leak of their own accord.

"I'm fine; it's for the best," she whispered as she reached for her diamond stud earrings. After putting them in, she twirled around slowly, checking herself out in the mirror for the millionth time since she'd started getting dressed.

Running her hands lightly over her hair that she had pinned up stylishly in a loose bun with a solitary wisp of hair falling down each side of her face, Kagome's arms dropped to her sides abruptly as she stared at her reflection.

She looked perfect...absolutely perfect, didn't she? Her make-up was flawless, her skin radiant, the dress she'd chosen curled around every curve of her body as if it had been specially made for her by a top of the line designer, but inside…inside she felt ugly and bruised.

Frowning at her reflection, she swallowed as she admitted reluctantly, "I look perfect, but not for a blind date. This…this is probably what I would've worn had Inuyasha and I had a chance to go on a real date."

A tear slipped down her cheek, and she quickly caught it and wiped it away with the ball of her thumb.

"No, Kagome, you are not going to stand here and cry over something that never was!" she bit out. "He… The two of you were nothing more than friends, and it went a little too far. This…this is for the best. It's better to end it now before someone really gets hurt," she finished despondently as she turned away from the mirror and sat down on the edge of her bed.

Her puppy yelped softly, causing her to reach down and scoop him up. "Inu-" She stopped herself. "No, your name is Ashton because if I name you after him…after Inuyasha, I'll never get over him and I'll never let you out of my sight," she acknowledged quietly as she leaned down and kissed the pup on the nose.

Ashton whined endearingly and licked her chin as if saying that he understood. Rubbing his furry little head against her chin, she pulled him to her possessively almost crushing his little body against her full bosom.

"My Ashton… My Inu…"

A light tapping drew her out of her private thoughts and she looked up, thinking that perhaps she was hearing things, but the sound came again, this time a little louder.

The door? Who…

She turned and stared at the digital clock on her nightstand that read 5:45 pm. "Inu…yasha," she mumbled as she slowly stood to her feet.

She honestly hadn't thought that he would show since he hadn't called her all day. But she knew, even if she wasn't in the right frame of mind to admit it, that she was secretly holding out hope that he would, and for that reason alone… Maybe that's why she left work early and started getting dressed much sooner than she knew she should have.

Maybe it's not him, she thought, although she knew deep down that it couldn't be anyone else. Maybe he's just coming by to tell me that this isn't going to work between us and that our friendship…our friendship is- She couldn't finish that thought, didn't want to finish that thought because if it was true it would crush her, regardless of whether it was for the best or not.

Albeit half of her wanted to hide like the coward she knew she was, the other part, the more dominant part of her, forced her to move out of her room, down the hallway, through the living room, past the kitchen, and to the front door.

Foregoing asking who it was, she leaned up on her toes and peeked into the peep hole.

Inuyasha, she thought as she watched him loosen his tie and unbutton the first two buttons on his soft yellow button down shirt.

He looked up, their eyes meeting and holding the other's attention as he ordered firmly, "Kagome, I know you're there. Open the door."

She stepped back away from the peep hole. Her heart was hammering within her chest, her hands shaking…trembling. She wanted to open the door, she really did, but if she saw him face to face…

Shaking her head, she replied too softly for human ears to hear as she stepped back up to the door so that her body was pressed against it, "You're late."

"I'm sorry," the hanyou whispered just loud enough for her to hear, his voice husky and laced with something that she couldn't quite discern.

Her heart swelled within her chest as she reached down and clutched the knob. She didn't know what it was that this man…this youkai…this hanyou was doing to her, but she knew she had no control over it.

It was as if her heart and her body were teaming up against her mind, because no matter how much she told herself that she didn't want him, the more desperately she wanted him…craved him…desired to be within his presence.

Fighting against it… Denying what her body, and her soul seemed to yearn for was like trying to move a mountain or swim the Pacific Ocean in a day. It wouldn't work. It…it just wasn't ever going to work.

"I…I hate you," she whispered pitifully.

"You want to, but…you don't," he answered quietly as the knob turned in her hand and the door pushed open.

She stepped back away from the door while trying to remember exactly when she unlocked it, but as soon as she saw him…the look in his eyes as he stared at her from head to toe, taking her in slowly, all thoughts melted away like sand into the ocean.

She didn't know what he was thinking as he looked at her, but as she stared back at him, drinking in the way his shirt hugged his shoulders, and the way his slacks were cut just perfectly to his body… The memory of that kiss, the feeling of oneness and warmth that had enraptured her that morning came flooding back with such ferocity that she shuddered and stepped towards him slowly, her hand out for him to take.

As he took it and pulled her to him in one fluid motion, she whispered weakly, moments before his lips crashed down on her own, "I…hate you."

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Simonkal of Inuy

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He hadn't meant to come here. He really hadn't, and he would've liked to say that he didn't remember getting here, but he did.

He remembered every turn, every twist, every step he took to get here, to her door, and it was killing him because he knew that the moment he laid eyes on her what little resolve that he had acquired was going to evaporate into nothingness.

After his meeting with Sesshomaru and Rin had ended, he'd met with Nya for their end of week update, but she was acting a little weird so he decided that it was best to leave that as it was. He already had enough on his plate to figure out and one more thing would just cause it to crack.

Upon leaving his office, his only intention was to head home, down a couple of beers, watch a little of the stupid box-his definition of the television-and turn in early so that he wouldn't be tired when he met with Dr. Aikio the next morning. Inopportunely, as soon as he neared the exit that would take him to her place his hands, of their own accord-he would like to believe-turned the wheel slightly to the right causing him to veer off the interstate.

He'd come to a conclusion of sorts that he would visit with her just long enough for her to leave for her date and then he'd go his own way, but no matter what he did, he wouldn't make a move on her. He wouldn't try to act like he was upset about her date, and he would try-or rather do his damndest-to make her believe that he was happy for her because he was; somewhere deep down inside of him, he just knew he was.

Unfortunately, as soon as he felt her aura nearing the door, his plan started to crumble at his feet.

The moment she spoke to him through the door, his resolve faltered. Scenting her arousal, all thoughts of what he was not going to do disappeared as if they never existed.

When she whispered, "I…I…hate you." He knew that his fate had been sealed.

As he reached for the door and turned the handle, he didn't know what he would find, but what he saw made his heart…his soul react in such a way that it left him speechless and awestruck all at the same time.

She stood there before him, looking as if she was cut straight out of one of those glamour magazines that he rarely gave a passing glance to. Her hair pinned perfectly at the crown of her head, her eyes glistening in the wane sunlight that sprinkled into the room, her lips painted plum pink, and all he could think about was how much he wanted to taste them…her again.

He knew he shouldn't be thinking along those lines, but he couldn't stop himself; it was as if it his mind…his body…his heart-at times-each had minds of their own.

Staring at her from head to toe and back again, he slowly took in the halter top dress she was wearing and the rise of her breasts as her cleavage pushed up over the top of the damnable garment.

Swallowing hard, Inuyasha tried to tell himself that he should get out of there before he did something colossally stupid like pull her to him and kiss her, but he didn't…he couldn't move.

Instead, he stood there eyeing her womanly curves, enjoying the sumptuous arc of her hips, the flatness of her stomach, and the sensuous line of her elegant tantalizing neck.

Whatever magic she had over him, he realized as she held her hand out to him and he took it, was a powerful, exhilarating, demanding, and possessive thing.

"I…hate you," she whispered as he slipped his arm around her waist and crushed his lips against hers in a kiss that was meant to tell her all the things that he would never be able or willing to say.

They devoured each other's lips with the ferociousness of hungry tigers as their hands roamed swiftly over each other's bodies.

Kagome pulled desperately at the tie that he'd loosened earlier with one hand while her other hand reached for his belt and quickly released the end of it from the buckle that held it closed.

Inuyasha buried his claws into the roots of her hair as he pulled her closer and unknowingly guided her towards the couch. He felt her pulling at his shirt and he stopped for a fraction of a second and ripped it open, sending buttons flying to the far corners of her living room.

She looked at him, and then at the buttons, her eyes hungry and wanton as her chest heaved up and down. Reaching up, Kagome parted his shirt with her hands and ran both of them across his muscular chest as she stepped towards him once more. Dragging her hands up and over his shoulders, she pushed against the fabric of the shirt until it slipped down his defined biceps and onto to the floor behind him.

Running her hands up and down his chest, over his stomach to the button of his slacks, she bit her bottom lip lightly as she stared into his eyes begging him to understand the things she just wasn't strong enough to say.

Inuyasha reached up, caressed her neck, and ran the ball of his thumb along her chin.

Tilting into his touch, Kagome's lips parted as she closed her eyes and allowed herself to get lost in his touch. Dipping her head just a little, she placed soft kisses against the pad of this thumb, seconds before drawing it into her mouth.

Inuyasha growled low as he marveled at the warmth of her mouth against his skin and the sheer expertise of her tongue as it swirled around his digit. Her aura…the glow that laid over her like a heavily feathered duvet; it was…it was something of another world...something that he knew he was not meant to see or experience.

Damn.

Removing his finger from her mouth, he dipped low and captured her lips once more as he reached for her waist and picked her up so that her legs were wrapped around his hips.

Laying her down on the couch, they continued to ravish each other's mouths as the need…the desire…the want…the lust between the two of them grew by insurmountable bounds with each moment that passed.

"Take this off," the hanyou demanded, talking about the dress that was getting in his way. He didn't care how she did it; he just wanted her out of it and the faster, the better.

"Get up," Kagome replied obediently.

Inuyasha pushed back so that she could maneuver from beneath him, but he didn't take his eyes from her as she stood to her feet, her back to him. He watched her reach for the side of the dress-just below her arm-and slowly begin to pull the hidden zipper down.

The material fell away, revealing succulent, tanned flesh, a black lace bra, and a pair of black thong panties that dove up from the crack of her ass so perfectly that the hanyou couldn't stop himself from moving towards her.

Kagome gasped as she felt his strong hands encircle her waist pulling her back to him. His mouth, hot, wet, and all too inviting was on the side of her neck, leaving a trail of hot kisses down to her shoulder. She moaned as her head fell lethargically to the side; giving him all the access he desired as her hips undulated back against the hardness that pressed against her supple backside.

Inuyasha groaned, wanting nothing more than to just bend her over and take her with as much fervor as he could muster, but he knew she deserved better than that. She deserved to be handled with care.

He could smell her arousal all around him, clouding his mind and clogging his senses in such a way that she was all he saw and all he knew at that moment. His hands moved down her flat stomach, over her slim waist, seeking out her nest.

Dipping his hand lower, the hanyou palmed her heated core, and then allowed a solitary finger to slide smoothly between her wet slit. It was so hot…so inviting that he found it hard to control himself as he slipped two fingers into her while thumbing gently at her clit.

She rocked against him, her body trembling as he ran the tip of this claw carefully over her clit repeatedly, causing her to hiss his name as her head thrashed back and forth.

Removing his hand, the hanyou cut through the skinny straps that held her thong together and pulled it away as he lowered the both of them down to the floor. Kagome tried to turn to face him, but he whispered, "Don't; I want you just like this…for now."

She didn't know what to think, so she didn't try to. Instead, she allowed her mind to focus only on the feel of his hands on her body and his lips trailing slow kisses down her spine. Other than that, nothing else mattered-nothing.

Kagome tensed and relaxed as his tongue trailed slowly down the crack of her ass moments before she felt him palm her cheeks, part them, and his tongue dive in, devouring her as if he was bobbing for apples.

For a brief nonexistent moment she couldn't help but to be thankful that she'd taken that long hot bath, but that was as far as her thoughts went because his tongue, it was like a sliver of heaven itself-or could it have been hell? He pushed her to the brink, pulled her back again, and caused parts of her to awaken that she wasn't aware even existed.

Inuyasha rocked back, lifted her higher so that her knees were on his shoulders, her face still toward the ground, and he dove in again. He lapped at her nest, nibbled on her clit, and forced his tongue to linger in areas that he knew would only serve to drive her a little crazier.

He reveled in every jerk, rock, and twist of her body while memorizing every incomprehensible mumble, moan, and groan that escaped her.

She tasted like…like strawberries and the icing off a child's birthday cake. She tasted like a cold glass of water on a hot summers day, or a beer after a long day of work. She tasted…she tasted like redemption and death, fire and ice, poison and the cure.

Kagome moaned orgasmically as he lifted her higher with one hand while parting the lips of her shaven lady with his other hand. Her knees still balanced on his shoulders, she began to tremble uncontrollably as his tongue slipped into her and his experienced mouth simultaneously began sucking at her inner lips.

She was trying to hold herself up, but as the trembles grew stronger her arms began to shake uncontrollably. She tried to hold on to what little shred of decency she had left.

Unfortunately, that battle was lost the moment she felt the coils that had wrapped tightly around that special area of her abdomen snap loose with a vengeance, causing her to cry out as an orgasm unlike any she had ever felt in her life ripped its way through her. It caused her mind, her world to twist into a million and seventy different hues of colors she wasn't aware existed.

Inuyasha knew she was cumming, he could tell by the spike in her scent, and he dove in deeper with his tongue as he tickled her clit with the ball of his thumb, forcing her further over the edge and into the blissful abyss that awaited her.

As she began to calm down, he lowered her down so that she was lying flat on her stomach before him, her breathing labored, almost a pant. Stretching out over her, he balanced himself so that his weight was on his hands as he whispered in her ear, "Are you okay?"

Kagome nodded, but she didn't respond verbally. Instead, she closed her eyes tighter and tried to will away the stars that were flying erratically before her.

Adjusting his member, which wanted nothing more than a taste of her, the hanyou bit down on his lower lip as he reached down and flipped her over? Staring down at her, he smiled as she cracked one eye open and peered up at him shyly.

Sitting down on the floor beside her, he asked jokingly, "What the hell do you have to be shy about? I'm the one that's wearing you all over my face."

Kagome blushed and tried to cover her private parts, but Inuyasha slapped her hands away. "You know, when you should have done that, you didn't, so don't try it now."

As she reluctantly stretched out again, the hanyou allowed his head to fall back against her entertainment center as he reached out and ran his claws tenderly over her flat stomach.

"What…what are you waiting for?"

Cracking one golden eye open, the hanyou questioned, "What?"

"What are you waiting for?" Kagome repeated as she stared up at him, all shyness that she may have been feeling falling to the wayside.

Eyeing her curiously for a brief moment the hanyou replied, "Just because I did that to you doesn't mean that we need to go any further than that."

"But you…you didn't-"

"I know," he stated softly as he watched her push herself up so that she was leaning back on her elbows.

"Well, I can't really go on my date now; it wouldn't be right. So…"

Inuyasha looked at her, wondering exactly where she was going with this line of rambling. "So…"

She smiled, chewed on her lower lip as she reached around and unfastened the strapless bra she was still wearing. Pulling it off, she twirled it around her finger a few times as she glanced at him, her eyes twinkling with unhidden mischief. Dropping the bra to the side, she sat up and murmured seductively, "I don't do anything halfway, Inuyasha."

His breath caught in his throat at her admission. The sight of her full, beautiful breast, her rose colored pert nipples...

Dragging his eyes away from her chest, the hanyou swallowed as he reached out and pulled her towards him. "I'm so glad you said that because neither do I," he advised as his lips descended on hers once more. Simonkal of Inuy

* * *

Ginta stared at the wall of his hotel room, his head throbbing violently from the beating he'd taken the night before.

All in all, he supposed that he couldn't be mad about it because he deserved it. Every punch, every degrading word that fell from the hanyou's mouth, he deserved.

After he'd peeled himself up off the dingy floor of the bar and made his way back to his hotel room, he'd told himself that he still wanted to speak with Kagome, but he quickly decided that that was nothing more than a crazy man's death wish. The hanyou had made his point quite clear, hadn't he?

He'll protect her. He's the only one that can, he thought as he shoved the rest of his belongs back into his bag.

Maybe his plan hadn't gone as he had intended, but at least he put the word out to someone that he knew…believed was more than capable of shutting Kouga down, should he show his snide face. Therefore, Ginta decided that made this impromptu trip was worth it.

The sound of his cell ringing cut through the wolf demon's thoughts and he growled.

Hitting the connect button, Ginta placed the phone to his ear and snapped, "What?"

"Yo, where the hell have you been? I've been calling you for four fucking days," Hakkaku questioned.

"Does it fucking matter?"

Ginta heard his brother shift the phone as the noise in the area he was in decreased dramatically. He figured wherever Hakkaku was, he'd just either stepped outside or into a quieter room.

"Where in the fuck have you been?" Hakkaku questioned again, his voice more demanding than before. "And don't fucking lie to me because I know you're not in Kyoto!"

Ginta scoffed dryly and retorted, "What, I need to check in with you before I do something now?" Not waiting for a response, he finished, "Last time I checked, I was grown fucking youkai!"

"You know what, fuck it! I don't even want to know. Just get your ass back to Kyoto because we're coming home early!"

"What? Why?" Ginta questioned, trying to keep the anxiety that had crashed down on him from showing through.

"Kouga decided this morning that he'd let Ayame and her sister finish the rest of the trip by themselves. Anyway, that's beside the point. Ginta, you need to get your ass back to Kyoto and have some info for Kouga by the time he gets there."

Snorting, the wolf demon sat down on the edge of the bed, his head throbbing even more than it was a few moments ago. "And if I don't, what…what's going to happen? He's going to throw a fucking tantrum?"

Hakkaku was quiet, almost too quiet, and it unnerved Ginta, but he didn't comment.

"He said if you don't have any info for him, you're out."

Hakkaku swallowed hard.

The walls around him… They were…they were closing in on him, weren't they? And there wasn't really a thing he could do about it.

He knew what out meant. They all knew what out meant; it meant that Kouga had basically told his own twin brother that he was going to kill him if he didn't give him what he wanted, that's what it meant.

He figured he should've been scared or upset or something along those lines, but he wasn't-not really. He supposed he'd accepted his fate a long time ago in some respects, so having it said out loud now really didn't change a damn thing.

"Ginta, are you listening to me? Did you hear what I just said?"

Sighing lightly, he replied dejectedly, "Yeah, I heard you."

"So…"

"So what the fuck do you want me say?"

"What do I want you to say?" Hakkaku snapped, irritated at his brother's nonchalance. "I want you to fucking act like your life matters! Give him what he wants, damn it! Stop playing this holier-than-thou role, shit!"

Ginta thought about that for a fraction of a second before he pushed it away. "No, Hakkaku, I don't think I'm going to do that."

"Are you fucking crazy?" his brother shouted into the phone. "Why the fuck not?"

"Tell me something, brother. When that shit happened with Dinshu and Kagome, why didn't you stop it? You were there way before I was and you probably knew about it ahead of time. So…so why didn't you stop it?"

There was nothing but silence on the other end of the phone, so Ginta continued, "You know we…we let him rape her, right? I mean…even though she doesn't know it happened, it was still rape, and we let Kouga set it up to happen. " The wolf demon was quiet for a moment then finished, "You know…we might as well have fucked her ourselves."

"Ginta, don't…don't… We-" Hakkaku stuttered.

Cutting him off, Ginta stated sadly, "It doesn't really matter whether it's by Kouga's hands or someone else's; I deserve whatever happens to me, Hakkaku, because I let it happen."

"Look, that's water under the bridge. What's done is done, Ginta."

"No, it's not. And it will never be done until all of us, including you, pay for what we put her through," Ginta admonished acerbically.

"I gotta go. Just…just have some information for Kouga when we get there," Ginta heard his brother say seconds before the phone went dead in his ear.

Closing the phone, he stood to his feet and sighed as he grabbed his bag off the bed.

It was time, wasn't it? It was time for him to pay for what he'd done and maybe just maybe in the end-even if he wasn't there to witness it-maybe Kouga, Dinshu, and Hakkaku would have to pay as well.

* * *

Simonkal of Inuy

* * *

Sighing lightly, the hanyou's head turned away from the moonlight that was streaming in through Kagome's bedroom window as his eyes opened slowly to darkness and the soothing beat of another heart that was lying beside his.

Staring down at her as she snuggled a little closer to him, the hanyou smiled wanly as he reached down and pulled the cover up so that it was covering her shoulders.

They had done it… Gone all the way… Did the do… Slapped monkeys… Made love… Fucked… Whatever it was that you wanted to call it, they had done it, and it was like nothing he'd ever experienced before.

It wasn't the actions or the positions that they'd utilized, no. It was more than that. There was a connection between them. Something so strong and viable that it was as if he could taste it, touch it, see it, feel it in every nerve of his body, and hold it in his hands.

It was like they were one being recreating a timeless masterpiece that had been done a zillion times before, yet it felt like the first time-always the first time.

He couldn't explain it. As she ground down onto him time and time again… As he caressed her hips, rocking her back and forth on top of him… As he sucked needingly on her breasts…her belly button…her tongue… As she stared into his eyes defiantly, refusing to look away… As she dug her nails into his back, whispered his name repeatedly, and hissed, "I…I…hate you," as she came for the third time that night…

It was like they had done that a thousand times before; it was familiar, so fucking familiar, and yet so new. She…she was familiar to him in a way that no one had ever been before.

Pulling her closer, the hanyou kissed the top of her head as he stared at the clock that read 10:45 p.m. It was still early yet, and he supposed that, if he wanted to, he could still make it home and into bed so that he could make his appointment in the morning. But for the life of him, he couldn't make his legs move or his arms release her.

He…he didn't want to release her, ever, he realized begrudgingly.

What have I done? he thought to himself as she moaned lightly and ran her hand across his chest to his side, as if telling him that she wasn't going to let him go anywhere.

He knew after tonight, after what they shared, that they weren't just friends anymore-they were more than friends, much more, but a relationship…

No, he wasn't ready to even think about that yet.

Part of him hated himself for being so weak that he couldn't walk away, but the other part of him, the part that seemed to be a glutton for punishment, relished in the fact that he had allowed himself to feel such things again. So where did that leave him, really? What did this mean for her? What would it mean for them?

Closing his eyes, the hanyou pulled her a little closer, deeply inhaled her scent, and hated himself just a little more for doing it.

What have we done, Kagome?

**Until Next Time…** (Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated!)

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**Next Chapter:** The Truth about Last Night

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**Acknowledgements: **(All other's have been sent PM's)

**Lauren:** Thank you for your wonderful review, I'm so glad you took a moment to step out of lurking status to let your voice be heard.

**Hai Ikurei:** Thank you for your very enthusiastic review, my friend and I'm so glad that you're still thoroughly enjoying this fic as well as finding it rather easy to understand. Though, I'm not certain whether that's a good thing or a bad thing…lol.

**Jin:** Questions, questions, my friend. Relax, you'll have your answers soon enough. Thanks for your wonderful review!!


	33. The Truth about Last Night

**A/N**: As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness!! Lemon Warning!! I don't know how I feel about this chapter, so I'll let you guys tell me. Anyway, thanks for your wonderful reviews and continued support, my friends. And to my beautiful beta, Neko, thank you!

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**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, Nola, Malcolm, Dinshu, and Dr. Aikio.

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**Chapter 33**

_**The Truth about Last Night**_

The sound of keys jingling and a door shutting drew her slowly from a blissful world full of flowers, butterflies, rainbows, and sunshine.

Sighing lightly, she buried her head deeper into her pillow searching for that warmth that had surrounded her throughout the night, but it was gone, seemingly evaporated into nothingness.

Running her hands out at her sides, she reached for it, but no matter how far she reached it wasn't there…it was gone.

"Inu…" she mumbled as her eyes slowly opened to the hazy light that filtered in through the windows. Glancing to her right and then to her left, Kagome sat up quickly as realization dawned on her like the sun pushing away the night.

_The keys that I heard… The door closing… It was him. He left…snuck out without even telling me goodbye, _she thought quickly as she stared around the room.

Pulling the covers up over her bare breasts, she pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them as her head fell forward so that her chin was resting on them.

She couldn't help but to feel as if she had just been used and tossed to the side like a bundle of recyclable newspapers, or plastic bottles.

Shaking her head, she tried to force those thoughts away. _Inuyasha wouldn't treat me like that. He wouldn't, would he? No,_ she told herself quickly in an attempt to stifle the trepidation that was starting to fall over her.

But if that were true, then wouldn't he have at the very least told her he was leaving? Wouldn't he have left a note or something?

Glancing optimistically at the nightstands that sat to the left and right of her bed, she sighed again.

They were both vacant of any pieces of papers that could have held a note of any kind. However, she did notice the empty condom wrapper that he'd used after picking her up and bringing her in here last night.

_Inuyasha, how…how could you? After what we did… What we shared?_

Memories crashed down on her. His gentle hands… His lips covering every inch of her body… The tone of his voice as he whispered things to her that she couldn't quite comprehend… The elicit manner in which her body reacted to his every whim…

Hugging her raised knees a little tighter, Kagome tried to force those memories away, but the more she tried the more vivid they became.

The feel of his heated skin against her own… The erotic sensations that swept over her as he suckled at her breasts… The feel of his warm engorged member in her hand as she jacked his shaft up and down soothingly…

_No, I'm not…I'm not going to think about that because…because it was a mistake. The way he left this morning proves as much! I'm not…I'm not going to live in those memories because it was all a massive mistake! We shouldn't have done it, _she thought as her eye's flitted over to the clock on her nightstand that read 6:45 a.m.

_He didn't waste any time getting out of here, did he? _she thought with a dry chuckle.

She wanted to be mad at him, she really did, and she supposed that a part of her was, but she knew if she were in his shoes…if what they had done had taken place at his home, she probably would've left right after or during the wee hours of the morning.

So, no, honestly she couldn't really blame him.

_After one's first time with a new partner, the morning after, no matter what the relationship between the participants, always tends to be a little awkward, but I guess even more so for participants that are supposed to be nothing more than friends_, she surmised.

If he had stayed to face what they had done, would they have talked about it and come to some kind of agreement, would they have pretended as if it didn't happen, or would they have acted like nothing changed between them when they knew that it definitely had?

Although she could certainly understand why he left the way he did, Kagome couldn't stop herself from feeling like he'd still slighted her in some way.

Releasing her legs, she laid back down on the bed on her side, her head lying on the pillow that he had slept on. His scent assailed her, so she moved back to her own pillow, grasped his pillow, and pulled it to her chest. Hugging it tightly, she inhaled deeply and allowed her eyes to drift close. _I guess it's better this way. _

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

He was tired, exhausted actually. Since he left Kyoto for Tokyo he hadn't slept more than a few hours here and there, and after his run-in with the hanyou, Inuyasha, he hadn't slept at all with the exception of the nap he'd had on the flight back to Kyoto.

It wasn't like he hurried back home because of what his brother had told him, but he wasn't about to push his luck either. He figured that sometimes it was probably better to not antagonize the devil.

If Kouga tried to carry through with his threat, Ginta decided that he would beg for a few more days in order to come up with the information. And in that time he could hack into Kagome's companies system again, change her information and in the end, give that information to Kouga.

Sure, it wouldn't fool the wolf demon for long, but it would buy her and her boyfriend some time to get their shit together.

Speaking of that, Ginta had wondered quite often after he'd told the hanyou the stories as _he_ knew it about Kagome and Kouga's relationship, whether he'd tell her the truth himself or leave her to continue living the lie as _she_ knew it.

Shifting his knapsack up little higher on his shoulder, he sighed as he rounded the corner and made his way through the heavily landscaped walkway to the side entrance of the building.

From the looks of it, it seemed like no one important was in quite yet, which suited him just fine because that meant that he could work in peace, and quickly.

Sparing a moment to stare up at the ten-story all glass building, he shook his head and turned his attention to the key pad. Quickly punching in his pass code, he waited for the soft beep and then the sound of the locks unlatching before reaching for the door and pushing it open.

Staring around the room that he knew probably looked like a regular office lobby to a stranger walking in off the street; Ginta strained his ears to see if anyone else was on the floor with him. Hearing nothing, he pushed forward towards the elevator that would take him down to the basement and his office.

As the elevator dinged and the doors opened, Ginta froze. He could smell them; feel their auras, all of them, including Kouga.

_What the fuck? Why the hell are they down here? _

He knew that was a stupid question; they were down here looking for him and information on Kagome.

"The man of the hour, eh?" Dinshu stated, pushing off the wall at the far end of the hallway and closest to the elevator.

Turning to the demon, who he absolutely despised, Ginta growled, "What the fuck are you doing down, Ass Pump?"

Dinshu chuckled dryly as he reached out and pushed the other demon towards the office. "I got a call about a possible traitor, so here I am."

Narrowing his eyes, Ginta started down the hall well aware that the bastard was following him and that his brother, and Kouga were waiting on him in his office along with two other demons that were known for strong arming anyone that got in Kouga's way.

Rounding the door to the office, Ginta stopped and peered through the doorway as the other demons with the exception of Kouga, who was sitting at his computer typing something, turned to face him.

"Brother," Hakkaku greeted, his eyes screaming something at him that Ginta just didn't comprehend.

The other two demons grunted an acknowledgement, but didn't say anything.

Tightening his grip on the strap of the knapsack that was slung over his shoulder, Ginta questioned agitatedly, "Kouga, what the hell are you doing?"

The wolf demon glanced at him; one eyebrow arched higher than the other, but quickly turned his attention back to the computer screen.

Glancing at the screen, Ginta realized that he was actually going through the history of the computer and accessing each page individually.

_Fuck! I have to do something; I have to get him away from there._

"Where were you, Ginta?" Kouga questioned calmly.

"I…I needed a break so I went out of town for a few days," he responded as he stepped forward a little more.

He saw Kouga turn towards him, nod his head and before he knew it the two bastards, Ryko and Lishun, had him pinned against the wall nearest the door, while Dinshu snatched his knapsack and started rummaging through it.

"Oi, what the fuck are you guys doing?" Ginta asked, fighting against the tight grip that the buffoons had on his arms.

Hakkaku leaned against the corner of the desk that Kouga was working at, his arms crossed over his chest, his expression caught somewhere between regret and fear. Staring at his brother, he queried evenly, "Ginta, do you remember what I told you?"

The wolf demon rolled his eyes in reply as he turned his attention back to Dinshu who was pulling out pieces of paper and setting them aside. He knew that the only thing he had in there were pieces of receipts with addresses scribbled on them-all of them associated with Kagome-but none of them had her name of them. Aside from that, he had the ticket from his flight in there as well.

"Looks like our little bookworm took a trip to Tokyo," Dinshu advised, pulling the ticket out of the bag. "He left 4 days ago."

"So fucking what? I can't take a trip without being accused of something?" Ginta bit out, tugging forcefully against the hold that the Neanderthals had on him."Maybe I was just tired of being cooped up in this damn dungeon!"

"Is that so?" Kouga questioned, standing up slowly from the computer.

To Ginta's delight, it appeared that the computer was giving the bastard some trouble, which was a good thing because it meant that he hadn't found out anything on his own.

"Tokyo, huh? Why Tokyo, Ginta?" Kouga asked, his tone bored as he strolled towards the wolf youkai. His hands were shoved deep in the pockets of his dark blue slacks, and his hair pulled up in a tight ponytail that trailed down to the middle of his back.

"They got a really nice aquarium, and you know how much I like-" he started to say, but the feel of a fist firmly planting itself in his gut cut him off. Coughing as he tried to inhale as much air as possible, Ginta growled, "What the fuck, Kouga?"

Hakkaku stepped forward, but not close enough to where he could intervene.

"What happened in Tokyo?" Kouga questioned again.

Inhaling deeply as his stomach violently protested the previous abuse, Ginta hissed, "Nothing, I just went to the goddamn aquarium!"

Kouga punched him again, this one much harder than the last one as he ground out, "I can do this shit all fucking day, Ginta!"

Ginta heaved as bile rose into his throat threatening to spill out of his mouth. _Yeah, he can keep this shit up all day, but can I? _Spitting out a wad of spittle mixed with something else that tasted disgusting, he offered, "Okay…okay, I lied. I…I didn't only go to the aquarium. I did…I did something else too. I…I talked to someone."

Kouga stepped back, stared at him knowingly and waited patiently for him to continue.

His head hanging low, Ginta grinned down at the floor as he slowly raised his eyes to his brother, but directed his comment to Kouga. "After the aquarium, I went to see a man about a dog, okay?"

Kouga lost all control of his emotions as he flew forward, slamming Ginta hard against the wall causing the two other demons to release him. Gripping his face, he dug his claws into his skin. "Do you think I'm fucking playing with you, Ginta? Do you think that I give a shit about you? I gave you one fucking job to do, one! I want the information, damn it! And if I have to peel off every fucking layer of your skin to get it, you son of a bitch, I will!"

Ginta bared his fangs at the wolf demon and grinned as blood drained slowly down the side of his mouth, but he didn't try to put up a fight. "You have no loyalty to anyone, do you? Everyone here is so fucking loyal to _the almighty Kouga_. My own fucking twin brother is willing to stand over there and let you do this shit, before he goes against you! But you…you would just as easily kill all of us to get what you want, as you would take your next fucking breath!" Grinning nastily at the demon, Ginta finished tauntingly, "Kill me, damn it! Fucking kill me! Do it! Do it, Kouga! Fucking kill me! You want to do it anyway, right?"

Kouga growled furiously as he slammed Ginta's head back against the door frame again while he reached into his waistband and pulled out his nine millimeter. Pressing it firmly to Ginta's temple, he hissed through clenched teeth, "You're dead, do you hear me? You're so fucking dead!"

Ginta grinned like an idiot as stared into Kouga's sea blue orbs defiantly. "Do it! Do it! Do it," Ginta chanted defiantly.

"Kouga, he's my… You can't… Don't…" Hakkaku chimed in desperately. He just couldn't stand there and watch his brother be killed without doing something to help him.

True, he didn't totally understand what it was that Ginta thought he was accomplishing by egging Kouga on, but he couldn't stand idly by any longer. After all, what would their mother say?

"Let me…let me talk to him. He'll tell me what you want to know," Hakkaku offered, his tone placating.

Glancing back at his number two, Kouga growled furiously and stepped back dropping Ginta to the floor in a heap. Anger roiled through him, blinding him so that he couldn't see past what he wanted…what he needed, Kagome. Raising the barrel of the gun, he fired once hitting Ginta in the stomach.

The youkai cried out as pain surged and spread like fire through his stomach. His world spun, twisted, and started to fade in and out as the burning stinging sensation quantified with every second that ticked by.

Hakkaku stepped forward eagerly placing himself between his brother and his boss, his best friend. Reaching for the gun, he snatched it from Kouga and questioned angrily, "Is she really worth all this, Kouga? He's my blood and your fucking friend! Roughing him up is one thing, but all this behind a piece of pussy that you let stupid ass Dinshu screw? This is fucking crazy!"

Dinshu stiffened in the corner, his head down as he tried to hide the smirk on his face. He wasn't stupid enough to add anything to that, with Kouga in the state of mind that he was currently in.

Kouga stared at Hakkaku his eyes ablaze with rage! "Don't tell me what she's worth! I get what the fuck I want, do you understand me? I'm the boss! Me! Not that piss ant! When I tell him to do something, I want it done, damn it!" Stepping back away from the blood puddle that was growing at his feet, Kouga finished, "He knows where she is! He fucking knows, and he's toying with me!"

Ginta groaned pathetically and curled up in a ball. "Hakkaku? Brother," he whispered weakly while clutching at his brother's pant leg with one bloody hand, the other pressed into the hole in his stomach in an attempt to still the blood that was steadily flowing from it.

"Fuck it! You talk to him, and get the information I need," Kouga snapped stepping out of the room. Turning back to face Hakkaku who was staring at him in disbelief, he finished, "Me and Dinshu, we're going to fly to Tokyo and check out this fucking aquarium."

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

The moment he'd left her Condo with her mutt in toe, the hanyou had felt like a complete and total sucker by all measures of the word.

He'd gotten up early with the intention of going home to change for his meeting with Dr. Aikio, but the damnable dog had stopped him dead in his tracks with his constant freaking whimpering. He had been lying near the front door-obviously waiting to go out-staring up at him with those…those fucking eyes of his.

Takahashi told himself that he would just take the dog for a quick walk, because he hadn't been taken out at all the night before, and once he got back he'd fix him a fresh bowl of water and some food, so that he wouldn't have to disturb Kagome.

However, once he'd gotten the damn mutt outside, he realized he'd forgotten his leash. So it should go without saying that as soon as he sat the damn dog down, he took off running down the street. Inuyasha had actually chased him for four blocks before he actually caught him in front of a small American café.

Thankfully, it had only taken the mutt a few minutes to relieve himself, so the hanyou figured that if he hurried, he could get back to Kagome's within a few minutes, and then leave for his place.

Unfortunately as he turned, the little black chow clutched in his arms, the smell of fresh baked croissants and bagels assailed his nostrils, reminding him that he hadn't eaten a damn thing since the morning before.

The girl at the counter was nice enough when she wasn't gawking at his chest. But that aside, he ordered two cups of coffee and one egg, bacon and sausage croissant; and one with eggs, sausage and cheese for himself.

Setting the pup down on the floor, the hanyou stepped into the kitchen and made quick work of refreshing the dog's water and putting a few cups of Puppy Chow in his bowl.

"Now leave me the hell a lone, runt," Inuyasha hissed as he picked up the cups of coffee, the bag holding the croissants, and started down the hallway towards Kagome's bedroom that was still a little dark.

Stepping through her door, he smirked as he walked over to her side of the bed and set one of the cups of coffee down on the nightstand, before setting the nondescript bag down beside it.

"Oi wench, I know you ain't sleeping," he declared as he sat down on the side of the bed that she was lying on. Kicking his shoes off, he stretched his legs out, forcing her over to the side that he'd vacated thirty minutes or so before.

Elbowing her playfully, he continued, "You know, if you're going to pretend that you're sleeping, you really need to monitor your heart rate a little better."

Deciding that she might as well give up, Kagome rolled over so that she was lying on her side facing him. She hadn't expected him to come back, but she was glad, really glad he did, because he'd just proved every negative thing that she was thinking about him wrong.

"Here," he stated, offering her a cup of coffee.

Taking the cup, she watched him reach into a white bag and pulled out something wrapped in white foil paper moments before he handed that to her as well.

_He went and got me breakfast? Inuyasha, _she thought as she stared from the cup to the sandwich.

The hanyou glanced at her as he un-wrapped his sandwich, and took a bite of it. He hadn't actually expected to still be here, but he decided that where this woman was concerned, he didn't have a choice but to play it by ear.

"Are you going to eat it, or stare at it?" Inuyasha queried.

Blushing, Kagome looked down, her hands dropping to her lap. "Inuyasha, you didn't have to do this."

"Do what? Buy you breakfast? Please… I buy you lunch almost every day, what's the difference?"

She shook her head. "No that's not what I mean." Glancing up at him, she tried again, "It's…It's just-"

Turning his attention to her, the hanyou realized that she was just as confused about their situation as he was if not more so. He wished that he could help her, but how was he supposed to do that when he honestly didn't know where to begin, or how to explain or define their new relationship himself?

"It's just breakfast, Kagome," he cut in quietly as he looked away from her and took another bite of his sandwich.

_Just…breakfast, _she repeated silently as if he had just said something so profound that she had to commit it to memory. Slowly un-wrapping her sandwich, she admitted without meaning to, "When I woke up and you weren't here, I thought…I thought that you'd…"

"You thought what?" the hanyou questioned turning towards her.

In that moment he saw just how insecure and vulnerable she really was. Everything that he'd heard from Ginta was there written on her face, wasn't it? It was apparent in every worried line that marred her beautiful facade, every nervous glance of her angst filled eyes, and every tentative movement she made around him.

The treatment she'd received at the hands of that bastard, Kouga. The years of mental games that he'd played with her had taken their toll, hadn't they?

Even though, they were supposed to be friends, she didn't trust him not to hurt her. Although he had never done a single solitary thing that would garner her distrust, a part of her still doubted his actions. Despite the fact that she'd given herself to him the night before, she was waiting, wasn't she? She was waiting for him to let her down or worse; toss her aside as if she was nothing more than a fling…a mere fuck…a booty call.

Inuyasha knew that he couldn't give her the reassurance that she desperately needed without making their current situation even more confusing, but after what they'd shared he couldn't very well just ignore her silent plea either.

So what he would do was be honest with her. He'd lay his cards on the table for her to read and let what happens next between them be her decision, but he wouldn't, he couldn't pretend as if she didn't matter. He couldn't act as if her feelings didn't matter because he knew that it mattered more than he cared to admit.

"I thought that you had snuck out purposefully," she replied weakly, hating herself for appearing so goddamn pathetic of late.

Balling up the empty wrapper, Inuyasha questioned evenly, "Why would I do that?"

Staring down at the cup of coffee, Kagome swallowed hard and refused to look up as she answered, "Because of what we did last night. Because you knew we shouldn't…we shouldn't have done it."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes as he stared at her. "You regret it?" He wasn't sure what he was expecting her to say, but her response stung him to his core.

She nodded, shook her head no and whispered, her voice choked up, "Yes, no, I don't know. I…I just don't want…" She looked up at him, her confusion a blatant thing. "I just don't want to lose… I don't want things to change between us."

Setting down the wad of paper on the nightstand, he reached for her and pulled her to him, so that she was cuddled under his arm, her head lying against his shoulder.

Kagome was taken aback, but quickly relaxed as he ran his hand affectionately up and down her bare arm while allowing his head to fall back against the high headboard of her bed.

"At the point that I am in my life, Kagome, I can't offer you a relationship." Inuyasha heard her breath hitch in her throat, but he pushed on before he lost his nerve, "I'm not going to lavish you with promises of anything, but…but what I can promise you is that I'll never willingly hurt you or betray your trust."

She tried to push back away from him, but he held her in place.

"Let me finish, because I ain't going to say this shit again," the hanyou declared seriously. "Just because we had sex last night doesn't really change a thing for me. Yes, it was a very personal thing that we shared, but it doesn't mean that I'm ready, or that you're ready-for that matter-to just throw caution to the wind and jump into a relationship. If you ask me, and you didn't-you never do; you just jump to conclusions. I say, we keep what happened between us, between us and take it one day at a time. If more develops then it develops, but if it doesn't then we still have our friendship to hold on to, and that one unbelievable night with your ass all over my face."

Kagome blushed profusely and elbowed him as she buried her head in the side of his chest.

Chuckling, the hanyou flinched away from her. "So, what do you think? Is it doable?"

"It sounds like you have it all figured out."

"Nah, I just sat up last night thinking about it, is all. I thought about waking you up to get your opinion, but you were snoring so loud that I just couldn't make myself disturb you."

"Shut up! I don't snore," Kagome blustered moments before she replied with a question of her own, "So, you've never done anything like this before?"

"No, normally I fuc-" Inuyasha started to say, but stopped. Leaning away, he looked down at her and avowed, "This is friend to friend now, okay? So, you can't get mad." She nodded in acknowledgment as he continued, "Normally I screw'em and leave, but I've only been in one real relationship."

Kagome wasn't sure whether it was more shocking to find out that he actually did have flings or that he'd only been in one relationship. "You've only been in one relationship?"

"See, now that's the perfect example of why we can't be in a relationship; you know absolutely nothing about me, wench!"

"Well it's not like you tell me anything about yourself! I don't even know where you live, baka!"

Rolling his eyes, Inuyasha quipped, "Reason number two why we shouldn't be in a relationship."

"That's not fair!"

"Why, you almost sound like you _want_ to be in a relationship with me," the hanyou observed mildly an arrogant smirk on his face.

Huffing belligerently, Kagome sat forward her arms crossed over her chest as she snapped, "Why buy the cow when I can get the milk for free?"

Inuyasha was staring at her bare back, imagining his tongue traveling slowly down it to the crack of her ass when his mind snapped back to attention. "No, the fuck, you did not just call me a cow!"

"Well, it is what it is," Kagome snapped back defiantly.

His mouth tried to form several come backs, before he retorted spitefully, "I'm the cow when you were the one practically mooing last night?" For good measure he added a very loud, "Moooooooooo!"

Her face 18 different shades of red, Kagome's head snapped towards him moments before she pitched forward, one hand going to cover his mouth, the other around his neck pulling him down in a headlock.

Laughing, Inuyasha went with it, allowing her to pull his head towards her; big mistake.

The blanket that was covering her slipped down as she continued with her one sided tussle. The hanyou brought his hands up to her waist in an attempt to gain some semblance of balance, but the moment his hands touched her heated skin… The second his head fell between her bountiful mounds, his world twisted, snapped, and bent backwards as he reached up and tightly grasped her wrists.

Kagome froze as he stared at her, his eyes like molten lava bursting from the mouth of a volatile volcano. Her breathing hitched in her throat as he leaned in sniffing her lightly around her mouth and down her neck. He then rose up on his knees, drawing her closer to him.

"Inuyasha, what…what-" she tried to say. A shiver ran down her spine as his claws raked sensually down her back to her bottom where he spared just a moment to squeeze before he closed in on her mouth.

Nibbling at her bottom lip, the hanyou inhaled every breath that she exhaled as her lips parted slightly allowing him access.

"You're the devil in disguise," he whispered, pulling away from her so that he could stare down into her beautiful eyes once more.

Gasping for air, she shook her head negatively as she stared back at him, her eyes wide. "No…no, I'm not."

Taking her hand, Inuyasha guided it down from his chest to his rapidly hardening member as he leaned in and demanded softly, but with vehemence, "You did this, now you're going to fix it."

Kagome closed her hand around his staff squeezing it gently. Almost immediately she lost herself in the feel of his heated hardness as the memory of how it felt to have him buried deep inside her bubbled forward. She squeezed, jacked it up and down, and ran her thumb over the head as a shudder rattled through her.

The hanyou couldn't fight it, didn't want to fight it. The things this woman did to him…the way she could turn him on at the drop of a hat just wasn't right, he knew that, but he was powerless against it.

Pushing her back gently so that she was laying on her back, he asked huskily, "Condom, where?"

She pointed to the top draw of her nightstand, and watched with lidded eyes as he quickly reached for the old pack of Magnums that she'd brought from Kyoto when she moved. As she watched Inuyasha step off the bed, unfasten his pants and drop them to his ankles only to step out of them, Kagome silently prayed that the condoms were in good condition, because by the look in his eyes, he was going to be nowhere near as gentle as he was the night before.

She knew he wasn't going to necessarily hurt her, but the feeling that was radiating off of him was nothing less than animalistic. He wanted her…to be in her, near her, and she knew that he wasn't going to stop until he got that.

Turning to her as he slid the condom on, the hanyou growled as he stroked his wicked stick up and down, his chest heaving. "Turn over," he ordered.

Flipping onto her belly obediently, Kagome felt the bed shift as he climbed on behind her. She felt his claws trail slowly down her back and she whimpered as she leaned up so that she was on her hands and knees.

It could have been her scent, her touch, or the way she smiled at him, he wasn't sure, but at this moment as he stared down at her backside, as he lined his staff up with her entrance and plunged into her, he didn't care.

The only thing that mattered was the tightness of her walls, the warmth that wrapped around him, and the ridges that he rode over as he rocked into her only to pull back and thrust forward again.

Kagome bucked back against him, though she fought with herself to remain steady in order to allow him this. This wasn't about her; she knew that. It was about him and his need. While he drove into her again and again, she moaned his name as his claws dug into her hips without breaking the skin.

The hanyou's mind was a muddled mess of incoherent thoughts and sensations as he rode the wave of ecstasy to and fro. He pulled her back to meet him as he reached around and tickled her clit, causing her to undulate back against his groin.

Pulling her back again, Inuyasha ground into her slowly as he rocked his hips to and fro making sure that his penis sought out and touched every part of her walls repeatedly.

He could feel the ties that bound him loosening the more he plunged into her and the deeper he dove.

Pulling her up so that her back was against his chest, the hanyou continued his ministration as one of his hands came up and palmed her breast while his other hand continued to gently pluck at her clit driving her towards the end of forever.

"Ka…go...me," he hissed as he rolled against her while the ties of ecstasy that held him entranced loosened even more.

His world, all that he knew, exploded around him causing him to hiss a string of incoherent things as he fell forward on top of her, his toes curling, and his hips spasmodically thrusting into her.

Inuyasha pushed back, repositioned her legs so that they were laying together between his spread legs and pushed up, balancing his weight on his hands as his hip rocked into her again and again bringing her closer to her orgasm.

Kagome reached back, grabbed his ass, hissed his name, told him to take what he wanted as long as he made her his while the walls of her hidden treasure sucked possessively against him, taunting him, teasing him, and enticing him.

She rose up against his groin as her eyes closed, as the world around her exploded time and time again. Every nerve in her body was alive with such life that she couldn't think, couldn't react, couldn't move, so she took everything he threw at her and then some, allowing him to claim her repeatedly.

Relaxing, the hanyou laid forward onto her back as the last of his semen spilled into the condom and the last of her orgasm dwindled down to mere trembles. His hips jerked forward a few more times as he whispered breathlessly, "…definitely the devil in disguise."

Kagome laughed weakly as he slowly pulled out of her and rolled to the side. Moaning as the loss of his body heat assailed her, she sighed and reached for him, but he stopped her by grabbing her hand.

"Don't you touch me ever again," he ordered weakly, his eyes half closed.

Kagome stared at him, a hurt expression on her face. "What? Why would you say something like that to me?"

Interlacing his fingers with hers, he tried to keep her at a distance as he responded, "You…you do something to me, wench, and I don't like it. It's like…It's like I don't have fucking control over myself."

Realizing what he was saying, Kagome smiled. He was actually giving her a damn fine compliment in a roundabout way, but it was a compliment just the same. Staring down at him, she whispered softly as she tightened her hold on his hand, "Well, Takahashi, the feeling is mutual."

Sighing heavily, the hanyou shook his head and snorted in a manner befitting someone that had just been defeated as he reached up and pulled her down to him so that her head was cuddled in the crook of his neck.

He didn't know what the hell this meant, but he knew that whole spiel that he'd just given her about being friends and taking things one day at a time was drivel. There wasn't a chance in hell that he was going to allow her to do what they had just done or what they had done the night before with anyone else.

As she wrapped her arm around his chest and pulled the covers up so that it was covering the both of them, Inuyasha kissed her on the forehead seconds before his eyes closed lethargically. His final thought before he fell into a blissful sleep, _It'll be a cold day in hell before I let that happen._

**Until Next Time…** (Your .02 cents is greatly appreciated.)

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Next Chapter: _**Playing Hooky**_

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Acknowledgements: (All others were sent PM's)

**Hai Ikurei:** You find it shocking that they had sex that same night? Well, why? There was a lot of sexual tension between from the moment they met. It was bound to happen…lol. Thank you for your wonderful review, my friend.

**Nathalee:** Hey you!! Thanks for your wonderful review. I actually had to force myself to update this chapter as I have been feeling a little out of sorts lately. But it's really good to know that you understand. Thanks again.


	34. Playing Hooky

**A/N:** As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness. Thank you all for your wonderful amazing reviews, and a special thanks goes out to my magnificent beta, Neko, for a job well done on this chapter and all of my chapters. I would also like to send a little shout out to all of my readers that are dealing with the aftermath of Ike (I don't know why Tina didn't just eat the damn cake…lol). Even though I'm in NC and didn't really have any effects of the storm, I do have a large number of family members in the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands that I haven't been in contact with since Ike hit, so I'm actually not as untouched as I would like to believe. Anyway, you will all be in my prayers and I hope to hear from each of you soon. Stay blessed, my friends.

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**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, Nola, Dr. Aikio, Malcolm, and Dinshu. All others belong to the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi.

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**Chapter 34:**

_**Playing Hooky**_

The silver Kawasaki Contour zipped in and out of traffic, causing everything that it passed to appear as nothing more than a collage of colors fading in and out of one another.

Kagome had always thought of motorcycles as merely loud nuisances that were driven by young boys and men that felt they had some kind of point to prove to society, or either they were driven by old men…aging men that were going through some kind of midlife crisis.

However, it wasn't until she'd climb onto the back of this one that she realized that maybe she knew nothing at all about the bikes themselves or the people that drove them. She also realized that perhaps all of her beliefs about them were stereotypical at best.

This bike, which she had decided to call _The Silver Streak_, hummed so quietly that she seriously doubted that a person driving nearby with their music blaring would even be able to hear it coming. Not to mention the driver, he didn't-not that she believed-have a bad boy streak that he wanted the world to see. The bike quite honestly just suited him, didn't it?

It was the definition of quiet strength. At first sight, it seemed menacing almost deadly, but its looks were so deceiving. The speed… The internal power… The suave sleek exterior…

Kagome scooted in closer, pressed her body firmly against Inuyasha's back, and wrapped her arms tighter around his waist as he dashed through a few more lights and veered onto the highway. Resting her chin on his shoulder, she couldn't help but smile into the red and silver helmet that he'd forced her to wear upon picking her up.

She hadn't a clue as to where exactly they were going, but in all honesty, she couldn't really say that she cared.

She had to admit that the weekend that they had shared together was by far the best weekend she'd ever spent with anyone. When he woke her up earlier that morning to tell her that he was leaving so that he could go home and get dressed for work, she was a little…well, more than a little saddened.

It wasn't that she didn't want him to leave, which she didn't, but more than that, she didn't want the weekend to end.

After their Saturday morning romp in the sack, they had awakened a little after noon and actually made it out of bed long enough for her fix them something to eat for lunch. After they ate, they'd then taken Ashton on a long walk down to the park. Upon their arrival back to her apartment, Inuyasha had tried to tell her that he was going to head out, but she quickly stopped that by going into her room and stripping down to her bare essentials moments before she came back out and gave him a kiss goodbye.

Even now, thinking about how underhanded that was, she couldn't stop herself from blushing. When had she ever been so forward, so wanton with anyone?

Anyway, their Sunday morning almost started the same way as their Saturday morning did, with the exception that she was the one to rise first, walk and feed Ashton, buy Inuyasha breakfast, and there was no sex between them. Instead, they cuddled in bed or on the couch all day sharing little things about themselves.

As the night rolled in, he'd asked her if she wanted to go out to catch a movie and get dinner, but she reminded him that she owed him a cooked meal. So, they decided that she would cook and they would watch their favorite movies; hers, _The Princess Bride, _his, _Face Off _with Nicolas Cage.

That night they'd made love again, but it wasn't like it was the first time or even like any of the other times that they'd done it over the weekend. That time, it was as if he was trying to tell her or show her something. It was as if he was trying to ingrain himself in her, and vice versa.

He'd taken his time kissing and caressing every inch of her body from head to toe, and back to front. He'd teased and taunted her almost to the point of insanity, while demanding softly that she promise to never let anyone touch her, or hold her like he did. And with every rock of her hips, every whisper of his name, and every flick of her tongue against his skin-she promised.

As he came… As they came together, which was something that she'd never experienced before, his molten gaze stared down into hers, laced with something so infinite, so tender, so guarded that when she pulled him down to her and kissed him passionately while her body quacked against his, she couldn't stop the tears from flowing down the sides of her face.

He hadn't said anything about it while he gently kissed them away, but as he pulled her close and held her, she understood everything that neither one of them dared to say. She understood that even though he knew that she wasn't ready for a relationship, it didn't stop him from cherishing her. She understood that even though he wasn't ready for a relationship, or rather the labels that came along with a one, it didn't mean that he would hurt her, use her, or toss her aside.

She understood that… She understood that she mattered to him, and regardless of whether he ever told her, it wasn't going to change. She was…she was important to him.

Sighing as she tightened her hold on him once more, she was glad that the visor of the helmet was darkly tinted so he couldn't see the solitary tear trailing out the corner of her eye.

When he'd shown back up at her place mere moments before she was supposed to walk out the door to go to work, wearing a pair of baggy button fly jeans, a red polo shirt, and a pair of black timberlands, Kagome didn't know what to think.

**Flashback**

"_Inuyasha, what are you doing here?"_

_Stepping through the door, one hand behind his back, the hanyou grinned. "I was wondering something," he started. "When was the last time that you played hooky?"_

_Frowning, Kagome tried to wrap her head around exactly what he was trying to ask her. _Hooky? What the hell is he talking about?

_Grinning devilishly, Inuyasha stepped towards her after noticing the forlorn look in her eyes. Pulling her to him with one hand, he questioned, "You do know what _hooky_ means, don't you?"_

_Blushing, Kagome's expression softened as she gazed up at him and replied, "Of course, I know what hooky means, Dog-boy."_

"_Good," the hanyou quipped. "So, do you want to play hooky with me today?"_

_Lifting up her arms so that they were wrapped around his neck, Kagome leaned in and kissed him. "I can't. I have a lot of appointments scheduled for today."_

_Inuyasha frowned lightly as he released her and stepped back. Turning back towards the door, he stated over his shoulder, "I understand. Maybe…maybe I'll just go ask that girl from the café down the street. I'm sure _she'll_ play with me."_

_Narrowing her eyes at his back, since he'd told her how the girl had ogled him the morning that he'd went and bought them breakfast, Kagome couldn't stop that ugly green dragon from rearing its repulsive head. _

"_You wouldn't!" _

_Turning towards her, while still hiding his other hand behind his back, Inuyasha retorted, his face set in a despondent scowl, "Well, my first choice shot me down. So, what do you really expect me to do? Go into work after I've already called and told Nya to reschedule all of my appointments?"_

_Crossing her arms over her chest, Kagome glared at him. "This is so unfair! You can't just…" Stomping away from him, she continued agitatedly, "I…I… You can't… Damn it, Takahashi."_

_Inuyasha grinned at her, knowing full well that he had no intentions of asking that counter girl to do a damn thing with him, but if Kagome believed it and it got him another full day with her then he was cool with that._

_Reaching for the door handle, he twisted the knob and opened the door as he avowed, "Alright then, I guess I'll talk to you tomorrow night or something."_

_One eyebrow raised higher than the other, Kagome snapped heatedly, "And why won't I be talking to you until tomorrow night?"_

"_Because wench, you know I don't do anything half way. If she spends the day with me, then she has to spend the night with me too. And if she's really good, only God knows when you'll actually see-"_

_A remote control slamming against the wall close to his head caused him to shut up, as he turned his attention towards Kagome, who was glaring dangerously at him. Her eyes were telling him that if he continued with his current line of speech, he wouldn't have balls to do anything with anyone ever again._

_Inuyasha swallowed, deciding quite quickly that maybe he'd taken his little game a bit too far. Staring down at the remote that was now broken in two with its batteries thrown all over the floor, he stated in an attempt to sound serious, "Has anyone ever told you that violence isn't always the answer?"_

"_And has anyone ever told you that you don't tell the woman that your sleeping with that you're going to pick up some other woman and fuck her?" Kagome bit out angrily._

_Stepping back into the house and closing the door behind him, Inuyasha offered softly with a boyish grin, "So, stop me. Play hooky with me."_

_The anger she was feeling drained away as she listened to his softly uttered request. "Takahashi, I can't. I want to, but…but I can't."_

_Stepping a little closer, he replied, "You can."_

_Sighing as she glanced up at him, she shook her head, but didn't reply._

_Taking another step towards her, Inuyasha pulled her into his arms once more and whispered as he ran his hand gently up and down her back while leaning down to her ear. Flicking out his tongue, he traced it along her earlobe and whispered, "For me…you can…you will."_

_Kagome melted into him, hating herself for being so weak where he was concerned and liking it just the same. Bringing her arms up so that they were around his neck, she whispered softly, "Have I told you how much I hate you?"_

_Chuckling, the hanyou leaned back and kissed her on the forehead. "Not today, you haven't."_

"_Well, I do," Kagome declared, the look in her eyes saying the total opposite. Stepping back away from him, she questioned as she picked up the cordless phone off the counter, "So where are we going?"_

_Pulling his hand out from behind his back, Inuyasha set the motorcycle helmet down on the counter next to her and grinned cheekily. "For a ride."_

**End Flashback**

_I'm such a sucker, _Kagome thought as the bike exited off of the interstate and onto a mountain road.

Lifting the visor of the helmet, she questioned, "Takahashi, where are we going?"

He glanced back at her quickly, his dark Oakley riding glasses hiding his beautiful eyes from view. "Doesn't really have a name, wench. Just relax and enjoy the ride, we'll be there in less than an hour."

Staring at him as he turned his attention back to the narrowing road ahead of them, Kagome smiled unsurely as she glanced around at the scenery. She could immediately tell by the large amount of trees lining the streets and the sparse amount of people that they passed that were leading donkeys and other farm animals into the foliage that they were no longer in the city.

Sighing softly, she closed her visor and laid her chin back on the hanyou's shoulder as she quickly determined that she didn't really care where they were, or where they were going as long as she was with him…with Inuyasha.

Closing her eyes, she shifted her hold on him so that one of her hands was wrapped across his chest, gripping his shoulder while the other one hugged his waist.

She missed the look of absolute contentment that he gave her.

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_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

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Staring up at the 45 plus story skyscraper, Kouga narrowed his eyes as he pulled the piece of torn paper out of his pocket. Looking down at it, he made sure that he had the right address, which he decided quickly that he definitely did.

The piece of paper was one of two pieces that Dinshu had located within Ginta's knapsack and he was determined to visit each of the addresses in hopes of locating whomever the damnable prick had visited while in Tokyo.

He had given Dinshu the other piece of paper and advised him to check it out and talk to whoever was at the address to see if they saw or talked to Ginta or knew anything about Kagome's whereabouts. He'd also told him to use force if absolutely necessary, but he better not come back to him empty handed or he'd pay with his ass, literally.

Shoving the piece of paper back in his pocket, Kouga ran his fingers through his long midnight black ponytail, while running his other hand down over his pressed slacks smoothing out invisible wrinkles.

Sure, Kouga could have easily put this task in the hands of one of his many minions, but he was quickly beginning to think that he was truly surrounded by a bunch of idiots. They were excellent at killing people or roughing them up, sure, but when it came down to locating certain people-one in particular-they were as clueless as they come.

_Bunch of fucking idiots, _he thought pushing the door open and stepping into the lobby.

His blue eyes quickly scanned the busy area, and within a few scant seconds he located the information desk and proceeded towards it.

Knowing that he would get very little information by being nasty, not to mention, the place was full of police officers and security guards, Kouga stepped in line behind a short, elderly, white-headed gentlemen and waited patiently for his turn.

Eyeing the crowd again, his eyes landed on a pretty little thing with long black hair that fell to the middle of her back. She had on a tight fitting black dress that hugged her curves like a painted on glove, and revealed just enough cleavage to cause a man's mind to wonder. Taking in the calves of her powerful looking legs, Kouga couldn't help but to lick his lips as he imagined those same legs wrapped tightly around him as he drove into her repeatedly while she screamed his name and raked her nails down his back.

_Good God, I need to move to Tokyo, _he thought as he watched the woman stop, lean against one of the large white pillars that lined the lobby, and adjust the back strap of her black stiletto heels.

He knew she was human, but he didn't care. Hell, being a mated youkai that was actually the only type women he was able to bed, because any female demon with half a brain wouldn't fuck with him at all since they could smell Ayame all over him.

Pushing all thoughts of his wife out of his mind, Kouga watched as the woman he'd been gawking at ran her hand down her dress, and readjusted her purse on her shoulder moments before stepping towards the elevators.

She must have felt him looking at her, because as she stepped on one of the elevators, she looked over at him and smiled.

_Definitely…need to…move to…Tokyo, _the wolf demon thought idly as he smirked back at her while the room in the front of his slacks reduced dramatically.

"Sir, is there something I can do for you?" the young woman behind the information desk queried, cutting into Kouga's wayward thoughts.

"Uh, yeah. I'm…" Pulling his thoughts off the strange woman and back towards the reason he was in Tokyo, the youkai started again, "Yes, actually, I was hoping to visit with one of my old girlfriends. I believe she works in this building, but I'm not sure exactly which floor she works on. If I gave you her name would you be able to tell me which floor she's on?"

"Well, this is a secure building, Sir. Unfortunately, even if I give you the information you're requesting, I wouldn't be able to let you go up to her floor without calling up there and getting the okay."

Kouga leaned forward onto the counter, a cocky little smile on his face. "I would really appreciate it if you didn't do that, because I was hoping that I could, you know, surprise her." Licking his lips, he leaned a little further over the counter, his eyes locked on the young woman that he was sure was fresh out of high school. "Help me out, Sweetheart. Help me surprise her. What'da you say?"

The women blushed at the closeness of his face to her own as she asked softly, "Well…Well let's see if this is her building first. What's her name?"

"Higurashi Kagome," Kouga replied with a smirk. Staring down at the young woman's lap, he tried to imagine the color and type of panties that she was wearing beneath the bland colored gray uniform she was wrapped in.

_I bet they're bloomers, and they're probably white with pink trim and a tiny little pink bow in the middle, _he thought while sniffing inconspicuously taking in the scent of the woman's vagina. _Damn near a_ v_irgin, and perfect for a quick fuck, _he finished as he stared down at her, his mind a blur of images with her bent over in a million different positions_._

"Higurashi Kagome…" the young woman repeated jarring him out of his thoughts. "Uh, yes sir, she works in this building, but unfortunately because she is a partner in the law firm, her suite number and office numbers have been blocked out."

Kouga's heart palpitated in his chest. _She's here… So close… Kagome, you're up there,_ he thought leaning back. Schooling his features, his eyes downcast, he asked, "Are you sure there's nothing that you can do for me? I haven't seen her in years and it would just make my millennium if I could see her for a few minutes."

"I'm sorry, Sir, but I can't." The woman punched a few more buttons on her keyboard and then advised, "Even her assistant's name has been blocked out, but I do have her floor. I don't know what the set up is up there, or if they're on the same floor, but if you want that…"

An annoyed scowl fell over his face, but was gone just as quickly as it came. "What floor?" he questioned softly as he bit down gently on his lower lip while staring her down as if she was the best thing he'd seen since sliced bread.

Swallowing past the lump in her throat, the young woman glanced down quickly at her screen and answered, "37th Floor."

Placing his two forefingers to his lips, he kissed them, and then reached across the counter and placed it against hers just as she looked up at him, a deep blush staining her cheeks. "Thanks, baby doll. Maybe when you get done here, you and I can grab a bite to eat," he offered as he turned and walked away and towards the elevators without waiting for a reply.

Stepping onto the elevator before anyone could stop him; he glanced at the buttons that had already been pressed. Eyeing the lit number 37, Kouga grinned sheepishly, his head down, his eyes cold…calculating.

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_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

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"Honey, I don't know," Sango chirped as she balanced the desk phone between her ear and her shoulder.

Logging into Kagome's Outlook account, she accessed her date book and began categorizing the scheduled meetings by the order of importance.

"I don't know what she's up to; she just called me out of the blue and told me she wasn't coming in today and that I needed to reschedule her appointments."

"Has she ever done anything like this before," Miroku questioned from the other end of the phone.

"No. Well, definitely not since I've been working for her," Sango offered. "Not to mention, I tried calling her a few times this weekend and she didn't answer the phone. Do you think she's okay?"

"I don't know… If she's never done anything like this before, maybe you should swing by her house at lunch and see if she's feeling alright."

Sango laughed, knowing that he simply wanted to have something to tell Hojo regarding why Kagome stood him up. "Maybe you're right. Maybe she's sick. I can't see how or why she'd stand Hojo up like that. When I spoke with her on Friday about it, she seemed a little stressed, but she's always stressed when it comes to her blind dates."

Sango heard Miroku shift, which meant that he was more than likely snuggling with her pillow, before he replied, "Maybe her and Takahashi-sama hooked up over the weekend."

"Please, Kagome hasn't got it in her to do something like that," Sango declared. "Before she'd give up the cookies to him, she'd make that man jump up and down on one leg and bark like a dog, and we all know that Takahashi-sama has just a little too much pride for that shit."

Miroku chuckled. "No, I think those two might be closer than you think, Babe. Maybe that little plan of yours worked."

Frowning as she clicked the reply button to Kagome's meeting that was scheduled for ten, Sango questioned, "What plan?"

"Do you really have that many underhanded plans, My Sweet?" Miroku teased. "You know that whole little act you put on about making sure that Takahashi-sama knew that Kagome had a date with a doctor? Maybe it worked. After all, she did stand the man up, didn't she?"

Sitting back in her chair, Sango's expression looked as if she'd just experienced an epiphany. "You really think… No, they wouldn't… She would've told me, wouldn't she?" Not waiting for a reply, she stated quickly, "Let me call you back. I'm going to call Takahashi-sama's office and see if he's in."

Miroku chuckled huskily and retorted, "Gods you're nosey, but I love you anyway."

"You better."

"Alright, Babe, call me back and let me know what you find out."

"Okay, bye," Sango chirped, reaching across the desk to push the release button that would disconnect the phone.

_That little tramp! I bet she… She better not have done something with him and not told me, _she thought as she balanced the phone between her ear and shoulder again while flipping through her rolodex. Dialing the first few numbers she stopped as a male voice that she found rather smooth, almost too smooth crooned above and in front of her.

"Excuse me. Maybe…maybe you can help me."

Staring up at the man that she quickly realized was the youkai that had been gawking at her in the lobby when she stopped to adjust her shoe strap; Sango smiled politely and hung the phone up. "Yes, what can I help you with?"

"Well, I'm looking for someone." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a piece of paper and stared down at it before continuing, "I'm looking for Higurashi…Kagome. A friend of mine told me that if I wanted a good attorney to help protect my personal and business affairs, she's the best one for the job."

Sango stared at the man, slowly taking in the long black ponytail that sat perfectly at the crown of his head. She conspicuously took in the way his eyes-the color of the bluest part of the Caribbean Sea-seemed to stare into her very soul. They were beautiful, eerily so, but they were also cold, and deceitful.

Dragging her eyes away from his face, she quickly allowed her eyes to trail over his perfectly pressed, plum colored button down shirt, and the Rolex watch on his left wrist that was encrusted with so many diamonds that it appeared almost gaudy.

A tiny voice whispered in the back of her mind that she couldn't trust this man...that she shouldn't trust this man. It was something about the way he stood there trying to look innocent…lost. There was something about the way he…he stared at her as if he knew something that she didn't.

Quite honestly, he made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

Staring back into his eyes, Sango heard the words of a brokenhearted woman's truth whisper within her head as if she was standing behind her, _"He was gorgeous in a very manly, exotic sort of way. He had the deepest blue eyes, which seemed to stare straight into your soul when he looked at you. And his voice, it was heavy and deep. It could make your soul quiver and send chills running up and down your spine all at once."_

Licking her lips, Sango stood slowly to her feet. _Kouga? At least that's what I think Kagome said his name was. What is he doing here? Does he have something to do with why Kagome isn't here? _Pretending to have a coughing fit, Sango's thought finished, _No, that doesn't make sense. If he knew where she was then he wouldn't be here asking for her._

"Ma'am, can you…can you help me?"

"I'm so sorry," Sango replied with a tepid smile. Tapping her manicured fingers against her forehead in a flighty manner, she added, "Short attention span, I swear." Taking a quick sip of her tea that she bought in the lobby, she continued, her heart beating rapidly within her chest, "You were looking for…"

"Higurashi Kagome. Does she work here?"

Smiling innocently, Sango stated, having quickly come up with a plan of sorts, "Well, that's a hard one. She works for this company, but she doesn't work out of this office. She was actually hired on a few months ago as a contract agent, which means that at any given day she could be anywhere in the world."

He narrowed his eyes skeptically. "Really?"

Picking up a stack of meaningless files, Sango quipped cheerily, "Really! I'm so jealous of her. Last month, I heard that she was in Australia for two weeks, and then they whisked her away to Paris for a conference of some type on International hoopla."

Turning her back to him, she continued as she pretended to file while hoping that she wasn't laying it on too thick, "I swear that woman has all the luck in the world! She jet sets across the world and back for free, and now she has this…" Turning back to the demon, she finished with a seductive smirk, "This fine ass man walks in here out of the blue, saying he heard about her via word of mouth, and wants to be her client."

Slipping the files back on to the desk, she leaned towards him and smiled seductively. "I don't know where she is, or when she'll be back, if she ever comes into this office, but damn do I ever wish I was her."

He quirked a sideways smile as his cheeks slowly began to turn the lightest shade of red. "Uh, well, do you have a number where I could possibly reach her, or her assistant?"

"Sorry honey, but that's privileged information, and I don't get paid enough to know it. So no, unfortunately, I can't help you."

He stood there eyeing her curiously as he stared her up and down slowly as if he was undressing her with his eyes. "Sure, thanks for your help," he stated as he turned away reluctantly.

"Oh, what's your name? That way if I were to run into her assistant, I can let her know that you would like a meeting with Higurashi," Sango offered, trying to sound sincere when in actuality she only wanted validation of who he was.

Stopping, he glanced at her and advised, a mysterious glint in his blue eyes, "She'll find out soon enough." Throwing his hand up while giving her the peace sign, he finished cryptically as he started towards the elevators again, "I'll be seeing you, Sexy."

Staring at him as he made his way back down the hallway, Sango maintained her smile until she saw him step onto the elevator. Sitting back down in her chair, she could only hope the he'd bought into her lie and hadn't seen straight through it. Somehow, she just knew that if he had, she really would be seeing him again and so would Kagome.

_Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions, _she thought quickly. _What if that wasn't him? What if that was really a new potential client? Shit, Kagome, where are you? I need to talk to you, _her thought finished as she picked up her phone and dialed Kagome's number only to have it go straight to her voicemail.

_Damn, what the hell is going on? Where is she? _Staring down the hallway as if she expected the guy to come back at any moment, her thought continued, _Kagome, if this guy is who I think he is, what the hell is he doing here?_

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_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

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He hadn't actually meant to come up to the mountains, but as he neared the exit, Inuyasha decided that maybe his brother was right this time.

Maybe this whole 'red eyed' thing was something that deserved to be discussed with the old codger, Totosai. He also figured that if he had Kagome with him then maybe he'd be able to avoid the manual labor that the prick was sure to try and thrust upon him.

Slowing the bike down as he pulled onto the dirt road that led to his Godfather's house, the hanyou removed his shades and stated to his companion, "Oi, whatever this fool say's to you, don't believe him. If he asks you to do anything, don't do it, okay?"

Raising the visor of her helmet, Kagome questioned while wrapping her arms around his waist a little tighter, "Why?"

"Because he's a fucking quack," Inuyasha bit out as he pulled pass the wooden fence that could definitely use more than a few nails. Then into the yard that bordered a humble little house that didn't appear to be any bigger than maybe a two bedroom.

_What the hell does he do with the money I send his ass every month? _Inuyasha thought as he stared at the wood that made up the side of the house. It looked like it was infested with termites and other critters that were yet to be discovered and named.

The yard, he noticed quickly enough, was littered with shingles, and more than a few of the windows were boarded up with disgusting looking pieces of plywood.

_I bet his forgetful ass forgets to even cash the checks. I have to tell Nya to stop sending the checks and just do direct deposits into his account. That is if I can get the old loon to give me his banking information._

Kicking down the kick stand on the bike, the hanyou shut the engine off and reached back to help Kagome off the bike before he climbed off himself.

"Oi, remember what I said. This guy is nuts, seriously," Inuyasha advised as he reached back and pulled out the tie that held his hair back while riding.

"Inuyasha, who lives here?" Kagome questioned as she stared around the yard or was it a junk yard that was littered with various disregarded pieces of tin, steel, and wood.

"My God-" he started to say, but stopped when he heard the screen door squeak loudly moments before the man in questions shouted, "Who's there? Don't make me get my shot gun!"

Inuyasha groaned, "This was such a fucking mistake," as he took Kagome's hand and led her around the house and towards the old man that was standing just outside the door looking in the opposite direction from which they were coming.

"Oi," Inuyasha grunted, his face set in a deep scowl.

"Who? Huh," Totosai stuttered as he slowly turned his head towards the two. Frowning as if he didn't know who he was looking at, he continued, "I ain't got no money to buy nothing, so go away!"

"Have you lost all of your marbles, old man?" Inuyasha quipped coming to a stop a few feet from him.

Totosai narrowed his eyes suspiciously as recognition slowly dawned on him. "Well, I must be seeing a ghost, because as far as I'm concerned you're dead."

"What the hell are you talking about, you coot?"

"Inuyasha, don't talk to him like that," Kagome chimed in peeping around the hanyou's shoulder and at the man that appeared to be nothing more than a feeble old man who was a step away from death.

He was bent over heavily as if leaning on a cane, and at the very crown of his head there was a solitary patch of gray hair that was being held in place by what looked to be a piece of string. He also had a solitary patch of long greasy gray hair hanging down both sides of his mouth, anchored just beneath his nose. Kagome decided quickly that at some point and time that must have been a mustache of some form.

What she found even weirder about the old man was that he had the biggest bulbous eyes she'd ever seen in her life.

_That can't be healthy. Is he sick or something?_

Trying not to stare, but unable to look away, the entranced young woman quickly took in the fact that even though the man was decrepitly old, his body-from what she could see through the almost button less shirt he wore-was well defined. Actually, too defined for a man his age

"Feh, don't pay him any mind, Kagome, he's just acting like he always does. He's my Godfather."

Totosai turned his attention away from Inuyasha and towards Kagome. "You must be the wench my ill mannered godchild married and didn't even think to invite me to his wedding."

Stepping off the stoop, he pushed Inuyasha out of the way with more force than any elderly person should have and took a hold of Kagome's face. Sniffing her, he frowned and stepped back as he turned his attention back to the hanyou, "Well, why the hell haven't you claimed her, yet? Didn't your father tell you anything about claiming a mate?"

Kagome blushed 20 different shades of red as she tried not to step back from the man, whom she was seriously starting to believe really was senile. _What is he talking about? Inuyasha isn't married, and he hasn't been married to my knowledge. But more importantly, why the hell is he sniffing me?_

Pulling her closer to him, Totosai ran one hand quickly down her belly to her abdomen, while his other hand found her breast and squeezed.

Kagome squeaked, and slapped his hands away as she jumped back away from him, one hand covering her stomach, the other protecting her breast. "Takahashi, what is he doing?"

Pushing Totosai back away from Kagome, Inuyasha snapped, "What the fuck are you doing, you bastard? Don't touch her like that!"

Leaning to the side, so that he could peer at Kagome who appeared to be ready to take off at any moment, the coot ignored Inuyasha question and asked, "She's barren, right? Is that why you haven't claimed her?" Snorting, he stepped back and finished, "She ain't got no milk in those breasts…just fat, and that belly…it's as flat as a board." Grumbling as he turned and walked away, he finished, "That's what you get for not inviting me to your wedding."

Inuyasha glanced at Kagome quickly in order to make sure that she was okay, and then turned his attention back to Totosai. "What the hell is wrong with you? Did you get even crazier?"

Staring off into oblivion as if he'd forgotten he was in the middle of a conversation, Totosai grumbled, "Serves you right for not inviting me. I hope your nuts fall off next." Turning to Inuyasha as if he'd just remembered something, he finished, one barely there eyebrow raised higher than the other, "Speaking of nuts; did the other one ever drop?"

Running his hand down his face in an exasperated manner, Inuyasha took a few steps closer to the man and shouted, "We sent you an invitation! You just didn't fucking show up! You never fucking show up, so don't piss and moan to me about not getting a damn invitation, you prick!"

Kagome stepped back, her mind spinning in one too many directions. _They sent him an invitation? What… How… What is he… What is he saying? _Shaking her head, she tried to make sense of what she had just heard, but no matter how much she tried, she just couldn't.

It…this made absolutely no sense to her. Inuyasha wasn't married, he couldn't be married, he would've told her…he would've…he would've said something to her, wouldn't he?

"I didn't receive no damn invite from you or anybody in your uppity family. After your father died, I swear you boys forgot where you came from," Totosai advised. "He would've made sure I was there. He would've came up here and got me if he had to, but you…you ungrateful dog…"

Inuyasha stared at the man. He couldn't believe he was actually acting like this and over something so fucking insignificant.

Sure, he could've totally understood his upset had he not personally hand delivered the fucking thing to his mailbox during the wee hours of the morning, but his anger… Well, that was something Inuyasha hadn't experienced before.

"Totosai, I put it in your raggedy ass mailbox. It was cream and gold with your name written across the front in ancient Kenji," Inuyasha snapped, irritated that this prick was forcing him to explain himself.

"Cream…and…gold?" Totosai whispered thumbing his chin as if he was slowly flipping through his memory to try and find that one specific thing that would lead to the answer he sought.

"Yes, cream and gold," Inuyasha affirmed agitatedly as he watched the man scratch his head seconds before he turned and shuffled slowly into the house.

Running his hands down his face again, the hanyou turned towards Kagome, and started to say something, but stopped when he saw the look on her face, felt the anger in her aura, and smelled the salt of the tears that had yet to fall.

Stepping up quickly to her, he queried anxiously, "Shit Kagome, are you alright? That old fool didn't hurt you did he?" Reaching out to pull her to him, he stopped as she stepped back, her fist balled up at her sides. "Kagome, what's wrong with you? What the hell? Why are you so upset?" Noticing he wasn't getting a response from her, he finished, "He…he didn't mean any harm, seriously."

She stared at him, unable to think pass the words that had flown so swiftly from the old man's mouth. She couldn't see pass Inuyasha's affirmation that he really was married.

_If he wasn't married, why would he know what color invitation were sent out? If he wasn't married, why would he be so adamant about it? _Turning her head away from him as the first tear slipped down her cheek, she whispered, "Takahashi, take me home."

"What the fuck? Why?" he questioned desperately.

"Jus…Just take me home, now," she repeated, her anger slowly seeping into her voice as she wiped away another tear with the back of her hand.

"No. Hell, no! Not until you tell me why the fuck you're crying. Are you bipolar or something?"

"Here it is," Totosai acknowledged cheerfully while stepping onto the porch with a cream colored envelope with gold trim in his hand. Flipping it over a few times as if he'd never seen it before, he finished with a shrug, "I guess I forgot to open it."

Staring at it as more angry tears began to flow down her face unbidden, Kagome shouted as she pointed vehemently at the envelope, "That's why, Takahashi! That…That's why! Just…Just take me home, damn it!"

Turning to look at what she was pointing at, Inuyasha groaned, "Fuck."

He hadn't even thought about what he was saying to Totosai, the man had him so heated. He hadn't even stopped to think about how it sounded to her, and for that… As the scent of her frustration, anger, and pain wafted over him, it cut him deeply.

Reaching for her, he tried to turn her back towards him so that he could explain, but she slapped him hard across the face seconds before she turned and began stomping her way down the dirt driveway.

"Kagome, where the hell are you going? I…I can explain, damn it, just…just wait a second," he yelled frantically while rubbing his left cheek slowly in a circular motion.

Turning to glare at him, she shouted, "Don't…Don't you ever…don't you ever come near me again! You…you're a liar! You said you wouldn't, but you…you… You make me sick! Just don't come near me again, you son of a bitch!"

"What's got her so riled up?" Totosai questioned coming to a stop beside Inuyasha. Placing his hand on the hanyou's shoulder, he continued, "So she has emotional problems and she's barren, Godson, you sure can pick'em."

Shrugging his hand off, Inuyasha turned and snapped, "I'm not fucking married you idiot! She's…She's my… Fuck… You just couldn't keep your fucking mouth shut could you?" He wasn't sure what to call Kagome, but he knew what he wasn't going to call her.

"Well, if you're not married then why did you send me this? And why the hell did that bastard Kuno, from up the hill, come down here gloating about how my Godson got married and I wasn't even invited?" Totosai asked as if he couldn't feel the tension in the air.

The hanyou groaned, shaking his head lethargically as he stepped away from Totosai and into the middle of the street so that he could get a better view of Kagome's back. He wanted to go after her, he really did, but her anger; it was like an oversize vicious rattle snake waiting to devour him.

In all the years that he'd been breathing, he couldn't come up with one living thing that he was even partially afraid of…until now.

Inuyasha stared after her as she continued to stumble down the dirt driveway. She was so angry, so pissed off, and hurt that he had to wonder if she would ever let him explain. And even if she did, after what she went through with that bastard ex-boyfriend of hers, would she even believe him? Would she even give him the benefit of the doubt?

_Fucking Totosai!_

**Until Next Time… **(Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated.)

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**Next Chapter:** Rocky Road

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_**Acknowledgements:**_ (All others have been sent PM's)

**Jess:** You wouldn't be Neko's, Jess, would you? Either way, thanks for the review and if you are Neko's Jess, thank you, thank you, thank you!!

**Lynzi18:** Thank you so much for your wonderful review, my new friend. And I'm so glad that you find their relationship realistic, which is what I was truly going for when I decided to write this story.

**Nathalee:** _Hey sweetie, I'm so sorry for your lost. I personally have never been pregnant so I don't know how it feels to carry a life and then have it taken away before it's time, but I can imagine. I want you to know that if you need someone to talk to, or to just listen as you ramble, shoot me an email, I'm always available. Thanks for your wonderful review and your continued support, my wonderful friend. May you and your family be blessed and most favored._


	35. Rocky Road

**A/N:** As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness. Hello people, thank you all for your wonderful reviews. I absolutely love reading most…okay well all of them; they brighten my day, seriously. Well guys, the time is winding down once again and my classes will be starting back up on October 7th. Therefore, after this chapter, I'm going to try to put at least two weeks between the updates so that the chapters that I've already written will last a little longer and you guys won't have to go too long between updates. That's it for me, but I do want send a special thank you to my wonderful beta, Neko for a job well done, and to my other beta Aikio, who has kind of sort of disappeared, but I'm holding out faith just the same. Oh, and this fic has been nominated with the Feudal Association for Best Inu/Kag Romance!! Isn't that awesome!! (ROFL)

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**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, Nola, Dr. Aikio, and Dinshu. All others belong to the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi.

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**_Chapter 35:_**

_**Rocky Road**_

_I'm so stupid! When am I going to learn that men-the bastards-are not to be trusted or believed? _Kagome thought heatedly.

Stumbling over a rock, she righted her footing and continued down the blasted dirt road, annoyed at the fact that for a brief moment in time, she actually thought that she could've trusted him. She had hoped-though briefly-that maybe…just maybe Inuyasha would have been the one to help her heal the way she knew she needed to.

_Why am I even surprised? This…this always happens! After you have sex with the pricks that's when you find out that they're liars and cheats! I knew it was a fucking mistake! I…I should've carried my ass to work today instead of coming way out here with his stupid, lying, cheating ass!_

She was pissed, actually more than pissed. Kagome was livid that she had actually allowed herself to be sucked in by his…his…

_Arrogant jerk! Thinks just because he has golden eyes and a…a nice smile that he can just lie to me! He thinks that just because he's a fucking Takahashi he can treat people any kind of way he wants to?_

After the initial shock and pain of finding out, or rather deducing that the hanyou was quite honestly married, Kagome could barely contain the anger that she felt.

Sure, she couldn't remember actually asking him if he was married, but why the hell should she have had to? Shouldn't he have… Couldn't he have told her at any point and time before he coaxed her into bed with him that he was married?

Okay, that wasn't the total truth because she knew she was as much to blame for the sex part of their relationship as he was, but she wasn't married nor was she seeing anyone, so the fucking blame laid on him…with him…all of it!

"That's why he's never invited me to his house! That's why he always left early to go home whenever he came over! That was probably who was on the phone the morning that we had our first kiss," she hissed as she kicked angrily at a rock. "Stupid, stupid me!"

Growling as if she was a dog, the angry young woman kicked at another rock as all of the lies that she'd heard from Kouga came rushing back to her.

"_You know I'd never do anything to hurt you."_

"_I was sick as a dog, Babe."_

"_Gods, I love you."_

"_I'm going to marry you one day, I promise."_

"_If I could bring you, I would, but it's just going to me and the boys."_

"_Sorry, I didn't come over last night, I fell asleep."_

"_I'll make it up to you, I promise."_

"_I would die for you, Kagome."_

"_Something must be wrong with my phone, because I didn't get any of your calls."_

"_My life wasn't complete until I met you, Kagome._

Kagome stopped walking, shook her head, her hands fisted at her sides. "Liars…all of them! Every fucking one of them," she bit out.

"I should've known he would be no different, but I…I…" She couldn't finish that statement. She just couldn't, because if she did she would've had to admit openly that she had actually wanted him to be different. She would've admitted that she wanted to be able to believe in him, and she would have had to admit that she wanted to be able to trust him.

"Kagome!"

Turning at the sound of her name being yelled, she kissed her teeth, then turned back, and increased her pace down the road again.

"Kagome, wait! Let me fucking explain!" the hanyou shouted from a few yards behind her.

"So you can lie to me some more?" the pissed young woman shouted back without turning around. Not waiting for an answer, she finished, "No thanks, Takahashi! I don't want to hear a damn thing you have to say!"

"Damn it, Wench, it's not what you think! Just let me explain!"

She could tell that he was gaining on her, so she increased her pace even more.

A small part of her told her that it wouldn't hurt to listen to what he had to say, but she pushed that ignorant, naïve part back into the dark recesses of her mind where it belonged.

_I've wasted enough time on him!_

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

Inuyasha stared at her retreating back as she continued to stomp down the dirt road; he found it hard to believe that she wouldn't at least hear him out. Granted, he totally understood why.

Had he heard things the way she had, he would have been ready to kill someone right now. So yeah, her anger was totally understandable, but explicitly unnecessary.

_Stubborn bitch!_

The hanyou had been trailing her at a distance for the past 7 to 10 minutes trying to figure out a way to explain to her that he wasn't married without telling her the whole fucking story. So far, he'd gotten absolutely no where with it.

_Fucking Totosai!_

Sure, he could've just ran up to her, spin her around, and yell in her face that he wasn't married and that Totosai was a crazy old loon that didn't know what the fuck he was talking about. Except, he'd basically backed up everything the old man said when he lost his cool and shouted that they'd given him an invite.

_Stupid, Inuyasha! Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

No, as much as he would've liked to place all the blame on the old coot, the hanyou knew deep down that he'd basically gotten himself into this mess. Therefore, he knew it was up to him to figure out some kind of way out of it, but how?

Couldn't he just tell her about the fiasco of a wedding and marriage that didn't even last 24 hours? Well, sure he could. Unfortunately, he also knew that she'd probably feel empathetic towards him, and he didn't want her pity.

He could tell her that he was going to get married, but it was called off a few days before the wedding? Yeah, that would probably work, but it was a lie and he wasn't a liar. Not only that, but if something serious started to develop between them, she would eventually find out that he'd lied to her. And then he'd have to deal with that as well.

No, that just really didn't seem like it was worth the energy.

_I damn you to hell, Totosai, _he hissed, silently picking up his pace as she neared the fork in the road.

"Damn, Kagome, just stop for one-fucking second!"

"Go to hell!" she shouted, stumbling over another rock in her haste to get away from him.

Inuyasha almost laughed, but refrained knowing that if she saw or heard him, it would only serve to piss her off even more.

"Where the hell are you going? You can't get down this mountain on foot, you baka!"

Kagome spun on him, her eyes glistening with pent up resentment. "Baka? The only baka here is you, Asshole! I can't believe you, Inuyasha!" she screamed. "Just…just stay away from me! Go home to your fucking wife, you selfish bastard!"

Inuyasha stopped, stared at her, his mind telling him to just tell her the truth…the whole truth. He could feel the rage swelling in her aura, ebbing outward dangerously and he hated it. It made her seem so untouchable, so vicious, and bitter that he found it hard to even look at her.

What hurt even more, was the fact that he was the reason for it. This wasn't something that he could blame on those pricks from Kyoto. No, this was his handy work… This pain that she was feeling, it was because of him and no one else.

"Kagome, I'm not…I'm not married," he stuttered loud enough for her to hear him.

She stared at him, her head tilting slightly from right to left and back again as if she couldn't believe he'd just opened his mouth to say such an asinine thing. Her eyes holding something that told him that he should cower in fear, Takahashi watched as she squatted down, quickly picked up something, and threw it at him.

Dodging to the left, the hanyou eyed the object closely before realization slowly dawned on him.

_A…a fucking… She just threw a fucking rock at me, _he thought in bewilderment.

"Wench, what the hell-" he started to say, but he didn't have time to finish that statement as another rock flew at him, which he dodged easily.

"Bitch, stop throwing shit at me! I'm telling you the fucking truth, I swear! I'm not married!"

That only served to piss her off even more as he watched her pick up a handful of rocks and throw them all at him in a single barrage while mumbling something that he couldn't completely comprehend.

_Crazy ass bitch!_

Dodging all the rocks with the exception of one or two that hit him in his left arm and the thigh of his right leg, Inuyasha growled, his patience waning. Head down, he brushed off the dirt that the rocks had left on him as he slowly looked up at her, his hands gripping his waist, his face set in a deep scowl.

"I told you to fucking stop, didn't I?" he growled, baring his fangs at her.

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

"And I told you to leave me the fuck alone, didn't I?" she shouted back as she took a step back, bent down, and picked up another handful of rocks.

Inuyasha watched her closely. "I swear to the gods, Kagome, if you throw those-"

Not waiting for him to finish his warning, she hurled the rocks she had in her left hand at him with all of her might; followed by the ones she had in her right hand.

Inuyasha dodge the rocks again by running over to the opposite side of the road. _Damn it to hell, _he thought heatedly as he watched her turn in a tight circle, surely looking for more rocks.

"One" he counted loud enough for her to hear him.

Kagome glanced up at him. His fists were clinched at his sides, his bangs hiding his eyes. There was a sinister little grin on his face, showing off just enough of his fangs for him to look damn near dangerous.

Stepping back and into the field that lined the road, she didn't know what to think or do as she watched him raise his head slightly so that she could see one of his menacing golden orbs.

"Two"

Kagome turned and took off as fast as she could into the field, not truly sure exactly why she was running to begin with, but knowing that she desperately needed to get away from him.

He'd deserved to be hit with the rocks, damn it! Hell, he deserved to have a boulder dropped on his head for the lies that he told! Still, she ran, her heart racing within her chest as she heard him count off, "Three."

Within a fraction of second he was on her.

Grabbing her around the waist, Inuyasha sprung into the air twisting her so that she was facing him, and so that he would take the brunt of the fall mere moments before they hit the ground. Wrapping his arms around her waist as she began to wrestle with him, the hanyou rolled over so that she was pinned beneath him.

Grasping her hands that were beating and tugging angrily at this shirt, he pinned them over her head as he sat up, his legs straddling her hips.

"No more rocks, damn it! Just fucking listen to me for one second!" he hissed, his eyes telling her that he was deadly serious…more serious than he'd ever been with her before.

"Get off of me! I told you…I told you to never touch me again, didn't I?" she shouted, thrashing her head up and down in an attempt to head butt him.

Shifting so that he was holding both of her hands with one of his, Inuyasha clamped his other hand over her mouth. "You never know when to fucking shut up!"

Kagome squirmed beneath him, rutting her hips up and down, to the right and to the left, but nothing worked, he had her pinned down. _Son of a… _she thought as she opened her mouth and bit into the flesh of his hand. Staring at him, her eyes narrowed, she increased the grip that her teeth had on him.

Inuyasha stared down at her unable to believe that she was actually biting him. At first it felt like nothing more than a mosquito bite, but the more she gnawed down, the more it began to hurt. Not only that, but it drove the point home that she really wasn't about to listen to a freaking thing he had to say!

Removing his hand from her mouth, Inuyasha hissed furiously as he sprang off of her, "Fucking fine, Kagome! I'm tired of this! I'm tired of chasing your fucking ass! If you want to go, then fucking go! I ain't stopping you!"

Kagome rolled out of the way, and sat up as she watched him stomp back towards the dirt road while staring down at the hand that she'd bit into.

She was more than a little angry with him, she knew that. But his annoyance, his frustration…his words, they cut through her wall of anger and rage, jarring her out of her own fury. It caused her anxiety to rise at the thought that he was really finished with her. The thought…the mere idea that he was serious; it made her want to reach out to him for some reason, which made absolutely no sense, since he was the one that had lied, or at the very least kept an important bit of information from her.

Still, her anger drained away to be replaced with pain once more. She couldn't explain it, it was like she was on some kind of emotional rollercoaster that she seriously wanted to get off, but for the life her, she couldn't…she just didn't know how.

She wanted to be angry with him, she did and she was… She wanted to hate him, to send him to hell with gasoline underwear on, but…but she couldn't… She wanted to tell him…to yell at him that she never wanted to see him again or hear another lie that fell from his lips and mean it, but she couldn't…she couldn't… She just couldn't make her lips form the words.

Shaking her head as she stared at his retreating back, she asked softly and against her better judgment, "Why…why didn't you tell me?"

Inuyasha stopped, but didn't turn back to face her. He inhaled calming his own ire, telling himself that she was justified in acting the way she did and regardless of how pissed off he was, he owed her an explanation.

He tried to remember that she was hurt, belittled, used and abused in her previous relationship, so her reaction…her reaction to the thought of him being married was more than a little warranted.

Hanging his head as he sighed heavily, his shoulders slouching forwards, he responded, "I didn't tell you because there was nothing to tell, Kagome."

Her head down, her hands clasped in her lap, Kagome mimicked part of his reply as she tried to wrap her head around it, "There's nothing to tell…" Shaking her head, she closed her eyes and willed herself to remain calm. "Inuyasha, the invite, and the things your Godfather said… You're married and…and…we…" She couldn't finish that sentence; it just hurt too much to put voice to the truth in those words.

"I swear on all that's holy, Kagome, I'm not married."

"But…" she replied uncertainly while staring up at his back willing him to explain, to say something more than _I'm not married, Kagome_.

Turning, the hanyou declared softly, "We need to talk."

Strolling back towards her, he took a seat on the ground beside her, his knees raised, his arms balanced on them. Glancing at her reluctantly, Inuyasha looked away again and at the ground below him, as he pondered what he should and shouldn't say to her.

He didn't want to tell her about this, none of this, but he knew that if he didn't, she would figure out a way to blame herself or crucify him unduly. If he didn't explain the situation to her, he knew it would only serve to cause her more heartache, and make it seem as if he were no better than that prick of an ex that she left in Kyoto.

Shrugging those thoughts off as he came to a resolute decision, the hanyou avowed quietly, "I…I was married."

Kagome's breath hitched in her throat as she leaned back away from him. _He was married? Why didn't he tell me? How could he have kept something like that away from me?_

"I…I _was_ married, but within 24 hours of the wedding, the marriage was annulled."

Takahashi knew she was staring at him waiting on him to explain what happened, but he didn't know where to go from there; how much to tell her, or where to even begin.

"Why…why didn't you tell me? Why did you let me find out like this?" Kagome questioned earnestly.

"I wasn't trying to hide it, Wench," the hanyou started. "It just wasn't, and it still isn't something that a person can just blurt out."

That was a true statement no matter how many times she rolled it around her mind. What had happened in his relationship; it wasn't something that he could've just told her and expected her to believe.

If he had, he knew without a doubt that she probably would have thought that he was just trying to gain sympathy from her in order to get her into bed, and in return they wouldn't have been here like this, and they wouldn't…they wouldn't have…

"What happened, Inuyasha? Why was it annulled?" Kagome queried quietly, not totally sure if she really wanted to hear the answer.

Inuyasha snorted out something that was caught between a laugh and a growl as he shifted uncomfortably. "Honestly, I'm still waiting for someone to tell me. One minute we were happy, I thought. The next minute, she's telling me that she's sorry, and that it's not going to work out."

Of course, there was more said during the initial break-up, but he was _not_ going to bring that up-not if he didn't have to anyway.

"What?" Kagome whispered softly, unable to comprehend what the hanyou was telling her.

"Exactly."

"Wait a minute. Are you telling me that she waited until after you and she were married to break up with you?"

"Yep, that's what I'm telling you," Inuyasha affirmed.

Kagome took a moment to internalize that, roll it around in her head and try to make some sense of what he was saying, but for the life of her, she just couldn't.

"Why would she do that? How could…how could anyone be so…so cruel?"

Inuyasha chuckled ruefully, but didn't respond since he figured that her question had to be rhetorical at best.

Scooting a little closer to him, but not close enough that she could touch him, Kagome asked, "How long ago did this happen?"

Flicking his ears back, so that they were flat against his head, the hanyou frowned as if he was silently counting in his head. After a few seconds passed, he scoffed dryly, "Honestly, not nearly long enough. But if you really want to know, almost a year ago."

Staring at the despondent look on his face, Kagome could tell that he was speaking the truth, and with every syllable, vowel, and adjective that fell from his lips, she knew that it had to be a difficult thing for him to do.

_Oh, Inuyasha, _she silently sympathized.

She realized that talking about this… Discussing this with her had to have been one of the hardest things he'd ever done in his life. And perhaps it was for that reason that she didn't push him further for more answers, or it could have been that after acting the way she did; hearing this only served to make her feel like a completely childish, ill-tempered, selfish brat.

All of this time she'd been protecting her feelings and stewing over what had been done to her, never once did she even suspect that he may have been hurt by someone he loved. Not once, that she could remember, did she even consider for one second that he was even capable of being hurt.

_How selfish am I? How cynical of me to think that he couldn't have been hurt? All of this time that we've spent together… His reason…his reason… I'm such a baka._

"She's the reason why you don't want a relationship, isn't she?" Kagome questioned softly…reluctantly as she reached down and began picking at an errant blade of grass.

Inuyasha looked up. "Would you want to jump into a relationship with anyone after something like that?" he asked, not really expecting an answer.

"No, I don't suppose I would." Scooting a little closer to him, she declared softly before she could talk herself out it, "You must have really loved her."

Inuyasha shrugged uncommittedly, but didn't reply; he figured it was apparent since he married the woman, regardless of how much of a mega bitch she turned out to be.

"But Inuyasha, did…didn't you take her as your mate? I thought there was no such thing as divorce when it came to youkai relationships."

"We never actually consummated our marriage. And…she was human, so…"

"Oh, I see." Kagome frowned in thought as she took in what he'd said. Glancing at him out the corner of her eye, her questions continued, though hesitantly, "So, you're…single…really single then. No one has any claim on you? No one can pop up later and say you're theirs?"

Inuyasha smiled sadly. "Yes, no and no." Rolling his eyes, he quipped noticing the mood between them beginning to lighten, "You don't have to talk about me as if I'm nothing more than a piece of meat, Wench."

Lunging forward, Kagome wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him as she retorted with a giggle, "You're a cow, remember?"

Snorting as a blanket of relief wrapped itself around him; the hanyou slowly encircled her waist while parting his legs wider so that he could pull her between them. "You do know that you're nuts, right?"

Kagome laughed as her head snuggled into the crook of his neck. "Maybe just a little," she replied as she tilted her head up and kissed him chastely on the chin.

Fingering the buttons on his shirt as she stared off into the thick foliage that surrounded the small field they were in, the newly relieved young woman stated softly, "I'm sorry that happened to you, Inuyasha. I really am, but…but you know what?"

"No, I don't know. Enlighten me," he responded without looking down at her.

"I'm glad she left you."

"What?" he stated, one eyebrow raised higher than the other as his heckles began to rise.

"I'm glad she left you, because if she hadn't… If she hadn't, we wouldn't be here like this." Realizing a little too late what she was literally admitting, Kagome tried to amend, "If she hadn't, you and I wouldn't be friends."

Inuyasha thought that over and smiled lightly as he pulled her closer. Resting his chin gently on the crown of her head, he thought, _Maybe…maybe this is the silver lining. Maybe it's okay… Maybe it's okay to want to believe again. _

Glancing down at her as she stared off into her own private oblivion, a peaceful smile on her face, he silently admitted something that he never thought he'd ever admit, _I'm…I'm glad she left me too, Kagome._

_**

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**_

Simonkal of Inuy

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"Yeah, thanks," Dinshu responded, passing a five dollar bill to the doorman.

Taking the silver cart from him, he pushed it further into the room as he blew at his shaggy black bangs that he'd started wearing a few months ago. Positioning the dinner cart beside the table, he shouted, "Yo Kouga, the foods here!"

Picking up the dinner cover that was covering his t-bone steak-cooked rare-he sat down on the couch instead of at the table. Foregoing using a knife and fork, he picked up the steak between his clawed forefinger and thumb, and bit into it.

"Oi, at least act like you've got some fucking manners," Kouga reprimanded, stepping into the room; his midnight colored mane wet, loose, and hanging down his back, and an oversized towel hugging his hips loosely.

"We had fingers before we had forks," the grinning youkai advised around a mouth full of food.

Removing the cover from his own food, Kouga threw it at the ill mannered demon without looking at him. "Yeah, well, now we have forks, so use one!" he snapped sitting down at the table. "Gods, I'm surrounded by fucking morons!"

Methodically unfolding the cloth napkin that held his fork and knife, he laid it across his lap, and then reached for the salt. Shaking a small amount into his palm, he pinched at it and sprinkled it on his rack of lamb without saying a word.

Ocean blue eye's glancing around the two room suite, he stared from the front door to the floor to ceiling windows as if he was expecting someone to burst in at any moment, or as if he was plotting an escape of some form.

_This won't do. Kagome won't like it here._

Shaking his head, the blue eyed wolf slowly picked up his fork and knife and cut into his dinner. Bringing the sliver of meat that he'd just cut up to his mouth, he closed his eyes savoring the tender morsel.

Dinshu stared at him, his powder blue slits smiling…always smiling. Reaching for the fork and knife that still set on the silver cart; he sat his plate down on the coffee table in front of him and quickly cut into it.

"You didn't order anything for me?" a soft feminine voice stated from the door of the master suite.

Dinshu looked up, grinning mischievously at the young Asian woman that was leaning on the door jam of the room that Kouga had just vacated. Staring at her from head to toe and back again, he tilted his head slightly to the side taking in her long legs and the cream colored, oversized, button down shirt that she wore.

He figured it was probably Kouga's, but damn it looked so much better on her. His smile widening, he pulled his attention away from her-whatever her name was- at the sound of mettle clanking against glass.

Pushing his chair away from the table, Kouga reached back and pulled the young girl into his lap. "I thought you were sleeping, Sweetheart," he whispered, leaning in to kiss the corner of her mouth.

She giggled and crossed her legs as she leaned back into him while snaking her arms around his neck. "Well, I'm up now," she teased.

"And you're hungry?" Kouga affirmed huskily as he ran his claws up her back and into the roots of her hair. Pulling back roughly, but not enough to hurt her, he asked seductively as he nibbled at her bottom lip, "How hungry are you, huh?"

She gasped loudly and tightened her hold on his neck as she replied, "Really, really hungry. You…you know you wore me out. It's…it's only fair that you feed me."

Dinshu stared on, knowing what was coming next. He tried to hide the smirk on his face, but the longer he listened and the more he watched; the more that smirk developed into a grin.

Running his tongue up her neck and over her chin, Kouga mimicked, "I wore you out did I?"

She nodded in agreement.

"And now you're hungry?"

"Hmm huh," she mumbled with a cheesy grin.

Glancing quickly at Dinshu, a devilish glint in his eyes, Kouga tightened his grip on the roots of her dark hair as he yanked roughly back, and pushed her forcefully forward out of his lap so that she landed hard on the floor on her knees in front of the table that Dinshu was sitting at.

"Beg!" he ordered almost too calmly as he picked up his fork and knife and cut into his dinner once more.

The woman gawked at him as if he had lost his mind. Glancing at Dinshu, who was looking back at her expectantly, she scooted away from the two demons and towards the room where her things were.

Leaning forward, Dinshu smiled, his fangs glistening in the waning sunlight. "If you're seriously hungry, I'll let you have my steak for a blow job." Pushing his plate toward the frenzied young woman as if it would let her know he was serious, he finished, "I won't even make you swallow if you don't want to, Princess."

The woman jumped to her feet and darted into the bedroom only to slam the door behind her.

Standing up to follow her, Dinshu stopped at the sound of Kouga's voice.

"Let her be, Din. I have a better piece of ass for you," Kouga declared absently as he sat his utensils down and stood up from the chair. "Besides, she wasn't worth the fucking effort it took to cum."

Pointing towards the door, Dinshu whined, "But she's right there, Boss. Come on, just a little taste."

Rolling his eyes at the overzealous demon, the head wolf youkai ignored his statement altogether and replied as he glanced down at his watch, "Din, go change. Put on something dark."

"What? Why?" the demon protested, reaching for the door knob that led to the master suite.

"Because, I think she gets off between 5 and 5:30, and if you're seriously trying to get your dick wet, we need to be there waiting for her."

Sighing dejectedly as he stepped away from the door, Dinshu questioned, "Is she sexy?"

Kouga rolled his eyes as he reached down and adjusted the towel around his waist, but he didn't respond.

Starting to turn away, but changing his mind, the grinning Cheshire wolf tossed another question at him, "Who is she, Boss?"

"She's a liar," Kouga responded cryptically as he turned and watched the young girl that had given him the information on Kagome earlier that morning scurry out of the bedroom and towards the front door at a break neck speed, her possessions clutched under her arm.

"A liar, huh?"

"Yep, and a damn good one too," he answered with a sadistic chuckle.

**Until Next time…** (Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated!!)

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**Next Chapter**: Signs, Voices, and Mates; Oh My!!

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**Acknowledgements:** (All others have been sent PM's)

**DiamondGirl:** Thank you for your wonderful review, but what do you mean by 'What happened to Kagome?'

**Jin:** Thanks for your wonderful review, my friend. Do you really think that Inu is in trouble now that Kouga is back in the picture? I don't know my friend, I think that Inu may be able to handle this situation with his eyes closed, or will he? (lol)


	36. Voices, Signs, and Mates, Oh My

**A/N:** As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness. Well guys, the time has come. School starts bright and early tomorrow morning, which absolutely sucks because I've so totally enjoyed being enamored in this fic for these past three months. It really sucks that I'm going to have to slow down the writing, especially now when the plot bunnies are hopped up on heroin or something…lol. Anyway, I was able to finish writing chapter 43 on yesterday, so you can rest assure that I will still be updating. As I stated in my last A/N, I will try to update every two weeks in order to make sure that I keep you guys entertained, and to give myself enough time-in between homework and papers-to write new chapters. So, be patient with me, my friends. I promise I won't stay away too long. That being said, thank you for your wonderful reviews and constant support, and a special thanks goes out to my wonderful beta, Neko!! Love ya, Lady!!

Now for the spectacular news, "Heart's Landfill has won 1st place Best Inu/Kag Romance with the Feudal Association for their 3rd quarter 2008 awards!" None of my fics have ever won first anything, a lot of seconds, but never first! So, thank you, thank you, thank you to that special person that nominated it and a big wet slimy kiss to all of you that voted for it! I'm so honored, really! Thank you!!

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**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, Nola, Dinshu, and Dr. Aikio. All others belong to the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi.

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_**Chapter 36:**_

_**Signs, Voices, and Mates; Oh My**_

This had to be the longest day in the history of mankind, the hanyou decided without vacillation.

_Bastard, _he thought angrily as he picked up a few more nails and the hammer the codger had basically thrown at him, upon him and Kagome's arrival back to the shamble of a house.

After he and Kagome had made up, per se, they'd remained in the pasture for a little while longer, sitting quietly before she advised that she was ready to go home.

Unfortunately, that was easier said than done.

The loon was ostensibly waiting on them to come back, and upon seeing them, he had proclaimed rather loudly and pathetically, if that was even possible, _"You know these old bones aren't what they use to be! Just look at my house! When did it start falling down all around me? I swear, at any moment it's going to fall in on me and kill me!" _

The hanyou had tried to ignore that statement altogether as his Godfather stood there in front of him with his hands hidden behind his back.

"_If I had family… If I had someone that… If I had a respectable Godson… I suppose that's just wishful thinking though," _the old man had whispered despondently as he turned slightly away and reached for the damn screen door that the hanyou noticed was only _just_ hanging from its hinges.

Upon hearing that, Inuyasha told him that when he got back to Tokyo, he would have a contractor come back out to fix the place up, but Totosai, the prick, admonished rather brusquely, _"I don't want no damn strangers around my house! What if they steal something? What if they try to kill me? Then who would you be left with, huh?"_

"I'd be left with a peaceful fucking existence," Takahashi bit out heatedly, leveling another piece of the broken fence. Positioning one of the nails he'd picked up seconds earlier, he made quick work of hammering it through the wood as he tried not to feel like too much of a sap.

Long story short, he'd told Kagome to go inside the house and lay down for an hour or so while he helped the old man out. She didn't seem like she wanted to comply since the memory of Totosai feeling her up was still fresh on her mind, but she'd given in reluctantly after shooting him a look that clearly said, she wasn't okay with this, but she understood.

Pushing his silver bangs out of his face, Inuyasha scanned the 4 sections he'd already patched up, and then turned his attention to the other 9 sections that he still needed to get to.

"I knew I shouldn't have come out here," he ground out through clenched teeth. "Every time I listen to Sesshomaru, it backfires!"

Growling, the hanyou watched the geezer make his way slowly towards him, his hands behind his back as he quietly assessed that work that was being done.

"What? You got a problem with how I'm doing it? Because if you do, I swear on all that's holy, I'll-"

Totosai glanced at him, a look on his face that Inuyasha couldn't quite discern before he queried evenly, "So, are you going to tell me why you're not married?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and commenced hammering another nail into the wood. He'd be damned if he explained his relationship, or rather previous relationship problems with this coot. Though, he had to admit that it was kind of bizarre that the old man even appeared remotely interested in his life at all.

"Doesn't really matter, does it?"

Totosai frowned in thought, and then responded, "Well, if you're still alive, I suppose it doesn't."

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?"

Ignoring the hanyou's question as he stepped over to the section that Inuyasha had just mended, and sat down on the top plank of the tri-level fence, he queried evenly, "What was her name?"

"Who's name?" Inuyasha shot back while turning his attention back to his task.

"The woman you were marrying?"

Grabbing another nail from the bucket, Takahashi questioned rhetorically, "You still didn't open the invitation, did you?"

"Why should I? It's not like I need it."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "I don't really feel like talking about her, old man. Just know that it didn't work out."

Totosai looked at him, one eyebrow raised higher than the other. "We're youkai; there is no such thing as _it just didn't work out! _Either it works out or your dead, there is no in-between._"_

Scoffing dryly, Inuyasha snapped, "We'll, I sure ain't dead, am I?"

Totosai gave him a look that clearly said that he should've known better, but the hanyou ignored it and finished nailing in the last nail before moving on to the next section of the fence.

"I suppose, I should have had this discussion with you years ago," the codger mumbled more to himself than to the hanyou. "Your father babied you so much, that he practically forbade me from talking to you about it. But, he's no longer here to stop me, now is he? So, Inuyasha, I think it's time for us to have a talk about the bird-youkai's and the bee-youkai's."

"What," the hanyou blustered, his cheeks pinking slightly. Standing up from his squatting position, Inuyasha found it hard to believe that he'd just heard what he had, but the look on his Godfather's face, told him that he was dead serious. "No fucking way! That shit ain't going to happen, you coot!"

Totosai ignored him and proceeded, "When a male youkai meets a female youkai they-"

"Shut the fuck up!" the hanyou bellowed, his face now inflamed. "I'm not going to have this conversation with you, I fucking mean it, Totosai!"

Grabbing a small branch that was leaning up against the fence beside him, the old man quickly whacked Inuyasha in the center of his head, causing him to fall on his ass.

"Ow, what the hell was that for?"

"Shut up, you ill mannered dog, your elder is speaking and you _will_ listen," Totosai declared calmly.

Inuyasha scowled at the man while rubbing the spot where he'd just been hit. _Stupid idiotic, ass pumping fool! _he thought angrily, but didn't dare move from the spot where he'd fallen.

"As I was saying, you don't choose your mate; your youkai chooses your mate."

"You weren't fucking saying that," the hanyou tried to correct, but was rewarded with another wallop on the head. "Stop fucking hitting me, I ain't a pup, you bastard!"

"Well, you sure act like one," Totosai observed mildly enough. Tapping his chin, he began again, "You're a hanyou, so unlike youkai, choosing a mate is that much more difficult for you."

"What the fuck-" Inuyasha started to say, but received another thump-this time-on the shoulder.

Grumbling under his breath about jackasses with sticks that needed to be shoved up their asses, Inuyasha scooted a little further away from the codger, but didn't dare open his mouth to say anything.

Scratching his bald head, the old man continued, "Let's see… Where was I? Oh, yeah, you have to be careful when choosing a mate, because unlike a full youkai, your human heart can lead you astray."

Furrowing his brow, Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest and looked away, his nose stuck arrogantly in the air.

"If I'm correct, and I believe I am. That woman that you were marrying or married, whichever it was, wasn't chosen by your youkai blood was she?"

Inuyasha didn't respond.

Honestly, he hadn't a fucking clue as to what the man was talking about. Sure, he understood that his youkai blood is what gave him his strength, made it so that he never got sick, would bond him with _his _chosen mate, and extended his life for years and years beyond that of a human's life span. But _it_, choosing _his_ mate, well that was straight bullshit as far as he was concerned!

He would never dispute the fact that there was an unbreakable bond between mates; his mother and father were the irrefutable proof of that. He also understood that because his father was able to have a wife-Sesshomaru's mother-and a mate-his mother-that there was a more serious…more infinite bond between his mother and father, but what he didn't understand…what would probably never make one bit of sense to him was this mess that his Godfather was spewing.

His father, his brother, no one had ever told him anything about their youkai blood choosing their mate…his mate. As far as he knew, and what he'd always believed is that the woman that he fell in love with and eventually married would became his mate automatically.

Bottom line, to Inuyasha, it was his choice and no one else's and damn sure not his blood's decision! So, no, none of this bullshit was ever going to make any sense to him!

"Feh!"

"Well since you're alive, I guess that's my proof that you chose her and not your youkai blood. Anyway, there are a few things you need to pay attention to before you try taking another mate."

"Gods fuck, Totosai, I don't want to hear this shit!" Inuyasha shouted, his head snapping towards his Godfather. "I'm not a fucking pup! I know how to choose a fucking mate!"

Totosai's head tilted slightly to the side as he stared at the belligerent hanyou. "Okay, so tell me about it, Yashi. How do you choose a mate?"

Inuyasha was taken aback by the little pet name that no one but his idiotic, asinine, crazy ass Godfather called him. He absolutely loathed it, and he, the bastard, knew he did. So to call him by it now really didn't serve to do much more than to poor acid into an already festering wound.

"Yashi, tell me, how did you figure out that that woman you were going to marry was your mate? How did you know she was the one you would spend the rest of your life with? Did you hear voices? Was there a big neon sign hanging over her head? Or were you just hoping?"

_How did I know? What the hell does he mean, how did I know? _Inuyasha cogitated, a frown marring his brow. Blocking out the rest of the questions that went along with that ridiculous statement since he knew he was just trying to antagonize him, the hanyou rolled his eyes again and turned away abrasively.

Smacking his Godson on the shoulder with the branch, Totosai teased, "So tell me, Yashi. How did you know? What made you decide to ask her to marry you?"

Rubbing his shoulder, Takahashi sprang to his feet and yelled, "Stop fucking calling me that, damn it!" Snatching the branch from Totosai, he broke it in two and finished, "I'm not a fucking pup, you geezer, so stop trying to treat me like one!"

Most would have shrunk back at the hanyou's tirade, but Totosai just grinned and retorted, "I will treat you as an adult when you start acting like one…Yashi. And the fact that you were willing to marry a woman that your youkai didn't even choose just proves that you're still that little foul mouth, ill tempered boy that you were years ago. So, sit down and shut up!"

Glaring at the older demon, his anger roiling violently with in him, Inuyasha tried to remember exactly whom he was talking to so that he didn't totally snap and break the fucker's neck.

He wasn't sure if it was because the man had hit the proverbial nail on the head, or because he just found this whole situation downright degrading, but whichever it was, it annoyed the hell out of him.

Who the hell did this asshole think he was? He couldn't just…just treat him like he was a fucking pup that couldn't defend himself! He wasn't that helpless little boy anymore, damn it!

He'd fought with the best of them and won! He'd mourned the death of his mother and father! He owned one of the biggest and sought after companies in Asia! Made more money in one month than most people would make in their lifetimes, damn it! And he'd had his fucking heart-broken, and survived it!

No, this prick, Godfather or not, was not going to sit here and treat him like he was nothing…a nobody…a piece of mud at the bottom of his dirty ass feet!

"You know what? I'm out of here," Inuyasha hissed, leaping over the fence and heading towards the house to retrieve Kagome. "I don't need this shit!"

"What were you doing when your eyes turned red, Yashi?"

Inuyasha stopped dead in his tracks, his fists balled up at his sides. Turning to face the old man, he growled, "Who the fuck told you-" He stopped as realization dawned on him. "Sesshomaru, that mother-fuc-"

"He called me the other day, or was it last week," Totosai avowed unsurely as he scratched his head. "Maybe it was yesterday? No, no, today. At least I think it was today."

"Feh, it doesn't fucking matter when he called! It was none of his business when he called and it's none of your business now!"

An impassive look on his wrinkled old face, Totosai offered, "Humor me, Yashi. Come have a seat; there are a few things we need to discuss before you and your lady friend leave."

Everything in him told him to just grab Kagome and hightail it down the mountain, but a small insistent part of him wanted o stay. It wanted him to try and figure out why Kagome would have said that his eyes were red, and if he were honest with himself, he would have admitted that he needed…wanted to know as well.

Sighing heavily, the hanyou shuffled back to the fence and sat down beside his Godfather, his head down, his hand grasping the plank he was sitting on.

"You know, your brother has always been a demon of few words, so when he called and told me that you were seeking reasons for why a demon's eyes would turn red, I figured it must be pretty serious, so I did a little research."

"And?"

"And, I need to know what you were doing when your eyes turned red. I need to know, what would have gotten you so upset that you would partially transform."

"Transform? Totosai, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Even though you're only a hanyou, Yashi, you can still transform, though not in the same respect that a full-blooded demon would. That being the case, there are only a few things that would force you into a transformation: impending death, a mate's pain or death, and the death of a pup. So, I ask you again, what were you doing at the time that your eyes turned red?"

Inuyasha was staring at the demon trying to make sense of what was being said to him, but it…none of it made sense. All of this talk about mates and being near death; he wasn't doing anything along those lines and he damn sure didn't have any pups, so what the hell was this fool babbling about?

"I was talking to someone," he started before he could stop himself. "Well, someone was telling me some horrid stuff about a good friend of mine and…and it really pissed me off. I guess things got a little out of control and I ended up beating the living shit out of the guy."

"What happened after that?"

Inuyasha looked at him. "I…I don't know. When I woke up the next morning, I was…I was at Kagome's house."

"And you have no recollection of how you ended up at her house?"

"No. Hell, I didn't even know my eyes had turned red until she told me the next morning."

Totosai internalized that briefly before he spoke again, "Your heart will never choose your mate, Inuyasha. Human's fall in love with their hearts and they are led astray every day. The heart is as weak as the flesh at times, and that is a mistake that demons and hanyous cannot afford."

Inuyasha stared at him, his face a mask of confusion. "Old man, what are you saying? Stop talking in circles and just tell me what the hell it is you're trying to say."

Shaking his head as if he was speaking to the dumbest person on earth, Totosai clarified, "Just as your human side has a voice so does your demon side. In order to know when you've met your mate, Yashi, you will have to listen and pay attention to the signs."

"Signs? What fucking signs?" Growling violently, Inuyasha continued, "You're not making any sense! What the hell does any of this have to do with my eyes turning red? Voices… Mates… Signs… Gods, Totosai-"

Cutting the hanyou's tirade off with a slap against the back of his head, the old man stood to his feet and declared sadly, "You've always been an idiot, I just hope that you wake up before it's too late."

Watching the man shuffle away, Inuyasha tried to make sense of it, but for the life of him, he just couldn't.

_Crazy old coot_, the hanyou muttered as he jumped back over to the other side of the fence. Squatting down, he picked up the hammer and a nail and hissed as he began to bang the nail into the place, "Voices, Signs, mates… What the hell does any of that have to do with my fucking eyes turning red?"

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

"Of course, Mr. Nahara, I will make sure that she calls you first thing in the morning," Sango replied with a bow as the one client that refused to reschedule his appointment finally turned to leave.

She'd spent the last 2 and a half hours going over some legal documents that Kagome had prepared the week before, in hopes of getting the wretched man to sign them.

Unfortunately, with every paragraph that she explained to him, he had thirty more questions to toss back at her.

Naturally, she was more than capable of answering them, but in the end, she decided that it really wasn't worth the effort, because it was evident that the man trusted no one but Higurashi Kagome with his personal and business affairs.

Picking up the file that she'd taken with her into the conference room, Sango glanced down at her wristwatch and groaned.

It was damn near 5:30 and she'd told Miroku that she'd meet him at the department store so that they could register for their wedding gifts, and grab dinner afterwards.

_Damn it, he's going to kill me! The one time that I actually get him to take the night off so that we can get something done for this freaking wedding, I'm late!_

Dropping the file onto her desk, she quickly picked up her desk phone and dialed his number. Cradling the phone between her shoulder and ear, Sango reached down and pulled her purse out of her bottom drawer as the phone rang a few times in her ear.

"Let me guess, you're running late."

Sango sighed, but smiled just the same. She could tell that he wasn't annoyed in the least even though he was doing his damndest to play the part. "I'm sorry Honey, but Mr. Nahara wouldn't take no for an answer."

"Did you at least get him to sign the papers?"

"Not even on your luckiest day. I swear the man acted as if I was a clueless nut job. Not to mention, the whole time he's staring at the door as if he's expecting Kagome to come waltzing in at any moment."

"Made you feel a little inept, did he?" Miroku questioned softly.

Slipping her purse onto her shoulder, Sango grabbed her keys with one hand, the file in the other hand. "All I have to say is that it's times like that when I just want to go and take that damn bar exam, you know?"

"I don't see why you don't; you're just as smart-if not smarter-than most of the Attorney's there anyway."

Sango smiled as she slipped the file into the desk drawer and used her key to lock it. "I thought you wanted 23 kids?"

"Yeah, I do," Miroku laughed. "But don't use that as your excuse not to take the exam."

"Okay, okay, you're depressing me," she teased, knowing that her only excuse for not taking the exam was laziness.

She'd gotten so complacent with being a Paralegal that she simply didn't think about it often enough for it to bother her. Well, it was that, and the fact that with the hours that Miroku's residency at the hospital required, she didn't want to put any added strain on their relationship with long hours of her own. Not to mention the amount of travel that her field of law would entail could be classified as damn near absurd.

Chuckling huskily, Miroku requested, "As a wedding gift make me a promise, Sango."

Reaching out to turn the lights off, she adjusted the phone as she reached into her purse and pulled out her cell phone. "Depends on the promise; you might want me greased down in Crisco again, and I'm not doing that," she finished as she hit her speed dial button number 1 to dial his phone from her cell phone.

"Come on, you know you enjoyed yourself," he gushed. "Slipping and sliding all over the floor… Trying to hold on to what little traction we could find…"

"Hitting my head up against the wall several times… Trying to clean that mess out of my hair and the crack of my ass…" She heard the office phone go dead as he clicked over to the other line where she was waiting on her cell.

"Multiple orgasms… How many times did you come that night?"

Sango blushed. "That doesn't really matter; I'm not doing it again. Besides, if you remember, I couldn't wear shorts or short sleeves for weeks after because of the bruises."

"Well, you can't say that I didn't try," Miroku retorted playfully. "Anyway that wasn't my promise. As a wedding gift, I want you to promise me that you will take the bar exam and pass it, before we're married, and regardless of whether you ever put it to use."

Pushing the button for the elevator, Sango thought that over briefly before she replied softly, "Only for you, my love, only for you."

"So that's a promise, then?"

Stepping into the elevator, she hit the button for the garage as she affirmed, "Yes, that's a promise."

"Good, now where are you?"

"I'm in the elevator. I should be there in twenty minutes if the traffic is moving alright."

Sango heard him shift as if sitting up before he replied, "Well, I guess I better get dressed then, huh?"

"Miroku, don't tell me you're not there yet! You know we had an appointment for 5:30! They're never going to see us now!"

"Relax, they called earlier and I moved the appointment to 6."

Stepping out of the elevator, she quickened her pace towards her car as she pulled her keys out of the side pocket of her purse where she'd dropped them upon stepping onto the elevator. "Good, now go get dressed, and you better not put that purple and black shirt on again either."

"Why, I like how that one fits me. It accentuates my biceps," he offered in defense of his attachment to the 7 year old shirt that he'd purchased on one of their vacations to Seoul, Korea.

"Just don't," she retorted, trying to sound serious, but knowing where he was concerned she very rarely ever sounded serious about anything.

"Alright, fine, I won't."

"Shit!" Sango hissed, staring at her car. "This shit isn't happening! It just can't be happening right now!"

"Sango, what is it?" she heard him question anxiously.

"My damn tire; its flat! I can't believe this!"

"Don't worry about it; I'll be there in a few minutes."

Her frowned slowly twisted into a smile at his words. _Mr. Dependable… He's never ever let me down, has he? _she thought as she turned in a slow circle, glancing around the vacant garage.

"Sango, you still there?"

"Of course; I was just cogitating about how you've never let me down. Just now, you didn't ask how the tire got flat or accuse me of driving too reckless; you simply said that you'd be here in a few minutes." Sighing, she finished, "You know something, I have to be the luckiest woman in the world to have ended up with you."

"So does this mean you'll give the Crisco another try?" Miroku questioned cheekily.

Rolling her eyes, and then squinting at the setting sun that peeked in through the scant opening in the covered garage, Sango glanced around her again as a feeling of being watched fell over her like a smothering blanket. She couldn't explain it, but it made her feel as if she should run or better yet scream for help.

Swallowing passed the lump in her throat, she turned her attention back to her fiancé, "If you hurry, I might let you talk me into it."

Miroku started to say something, but the sound of footsteps drawing close pulled her attention away as she spun around looking for the owner of said feet.

It was as if her eyes were playing tricks on her because the shadows all around her seemed to move at once, bending into each other, and reaching out to her.

"Mir…roku," she stuttered as she stepped back, unable to shake this feeling of fight or flight that was creeping up her spine and slowly entangling itself within every crevice of her body.

"Sango, what's wrong?"

Glancing around her again as she took another step back, she replied, "I…I don't know, but…something's…something's wrong."

"Did something just happen?"

"No, it's just a feeling," she replied unsurely. "Maybe I'm just being silly."

She could hear the soft ding of his car ignition as he cranked the engine and for a brief almost nonexistent moment she was relieved because she knew he would there soon.

"Alright, just go back upstairs and lock yourself in Kagome's office until I get there. Scratch that, go to the guards stand in the lobby, that way you'll see me when I pull up."

Pushing the button to call the elevator, she glanced around her again as that feeling violated every nerve of her body, causing the hairs on the back of her neck, along her arms, and up her scalp to stand on end.

_Something's wrong, _she deduced quickly while stepping into the elevator and quickly reached out with shaky hands to punch the button for the lobby.

Feeling that she needed a moment to get control of herself, she stated quickly into the phone, "Miroku, my battery is low. I'll call you back as soon as I get up to the lobby."

Not waiting for him to reply, she flipped the phone close and leaned forward, her hands on her knees as she closed her eyes, inhaled deeply a few times, and tried to get control of her racing heart and frazzled emotions.

Wiping her sweaty hands on the material of her dress, Sango realized absently that the doors should have shut by now and the elevator should be moving, but it wasn't.

She started to reach for the button again, but froze when her eyes slowly opened to a pair of black boots, and then lethargically, almost as if she were in a horrid dream, traveled up and over a pair of dark blue baggy jeans, and a silver metallic looking belt.

She didn't care about the rest of what he wore because she knew without having to be told that he…he didn't belong there.

Staring at his face, she quickly took in his powder blue eyes, long black ponytail that streamed down over his shoulder, both of his shoulders, as if he had been running from something or towards something, she didn't know which.

Swallowing, she slid to the side closest to the emergency button, but she didn't take her eyes off of him, and unfortunately, he returned the favor. Noticing that his clawed hands were stopping the doors from closing, Sango tried to smile friendly like at him, but failed.

_Why is he here? Who is he?_

Everything in her told her to run, to get the hell out of there. It told her the last thing she wanted was to be stuck in this elevator with this youkai, and that at least in the garage she'd have a chance of getting away if he tried to attack her.

Shifting her purse on her shoulder, she stepped forward, hoping that he'd do the polite thing and step aside, but to no avail.

"Ex…excuse me. I…I need to get off," she stated softly, trying with all her might to not let her fear show through.

His lips slowly turned up into something that resembled a smile as his eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't move.

Staring up at him, she couldn't make herself look away from his fangs that were as white as freshly fallen snow and seemingly sharp as nails.

He blinked, and then reached out and grabbed her so fast that she could barely comprehend it all.

His eerily soft hand was gripping her neck, cutting off her circulation as it inched slowly towards her jaw line…her chin.

Sango didn't breathe…forgot to breathe…forgot to try to breathe.

_This isn't happening! This…This isn't happening, _she thought as she closed her eyes and tried to think. Tried to tell herself that she should react…that she should do something.

He pulled her closer.

She could feel him, his breath on her face, on her neck as his claws dug into the sides of her face nearly breaking the skin.

_Gods no! Not like this! Please! I'm getting married! I'm in love! Please gods… Someone, please don't let this…don't let him do this, _she silently pleaded as she grabbed fitfully at his arms, his hands, and swung at his face.

"I heard you lie pretty well with that beautiful mouth of yours." His tongue flicked out tasting her lips. "What else can you do with it?" he queried evenly, a deceitful grin on his face.

**Until Next Time…** (Your .02 cent is greatly appreciated!!)

**A/A/N:** Okay, so…you guys do know that Sango is not a demon slayer and Miroku is not a monk in this fic, right? I'm just throwing that out there; do with it as you choose. (Grins)

* * *

Next Chapter: Damned

* * *

_**Acknowledgements:**_ All others have been sent PM's.

**Nathalie:** Hey you, I hope you're feeling better though I'm sure it's going to take some time for you to get fully back to normal. Take as much time as you need and don't you dare let anyone tell you, you should be over it by now. Anyway, my friend thanks for your continued reviews; I always look forward to them.

**Jin:** Okay, get off the end of your seat and relax, or did this chapter just not help at all? (lol) Thanks for your review, my friend.

**CT:** Did you think that he wouldn't? (lol) Thanks for your review, my new friend!!

**UnknowN: **(Bows) Thank you so much for your wonderful review, I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long.

**Hai Ikurei:** Thank you for your review, my friend, and next time don't stay away too long; it makes me worry and I don't like the worry (lol). I'm so glad that you find this fic so entertaining, because its kind of nice writing it as well!!


	37. Damned

**A/N:** As always, all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness. **Small Lemon and a possible Rape; you have been warned!!** You guys always tell me what your favorite chapters are, so I think I'll return the favor, this one, might just be my favorite thus far. I know I'm not supposed to update until Sunday, but I figured I'd do you guys a favor and update one day earlier…lol. After all, you all have been freaking spectacular with all of your wonderful reviews, thank you. **News alert:** This fic has been nominated with the Guild for Best Inu/Kag and Best Drama and my other fic 'Dangerous Allure' was nominated for best Dark fic, so to those of you that remembered me enough to do such a thing, thank you, and to everyone else, thank you for your continued support and reviews. To my wonderful beta, Neko, job well done, Wench, love you lots!!

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nola, Nya, Dinshu, Malcolm, and Dr. Aikio. All others belong to the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi.

* * *

_**Chapter 37:**_

_**Damned**_

It felt as if his blood was on fire. Charring his organs as it coursed throughout his body; it felt so good…so heavenly that it was downright painful.

Gripping her hips possessively, Inuyasha pulled her to meet him as he ground slowly into her while her nails raked over his back.

This feeling…This feeling that he'd noticed was there every time that they had sex was unreal. Sex wasn't supposed to feel like this. It…it wasn't supposed to feel like death and rebirth. It wasn't supposed to feel like deconstruction and reconstruction. Damn it, it wasn't…it wasn't supposed to feel like the end and the beginning!

Sure it felt good…it felt wonderful, but this…this gave a whole new fucking meaning to it.

_Gods in heaven, _he hissed silently as he pushed up off of her so that his weight was balanced on the palms of his hands.

Rolling his hips into her, he shivered as he stared down at her flushed face. Her eyes were closed; her bangs stuck to her forehead with sweat, her breasts…her beautiful bountiful breasts sitting up perfectly perky, and her rose colored nipples erect as if waiting…begging him to taste them.

_Signs_, he thought absently as he allowed his golden gaze to slowly travel down to her midriff, that was hollowed out at the moment while her abdomen gyrated up against his groin repeatedly, matching each of his thrusts with vigor and an enthusiasm that no other woman that he'd ever slept with was capable of reaching, or embracing.

"Faster," she whispered breathlessly as she stretched her arms over her head, gripping the headboard of his bed. "Please, Inuyasha, faster…harder, I'm cumming. Oh God, I'm cumming!"

The hanyou complied with her request as he glanced up at her face and smiled.

He watched her bite down on her lower lip, the muscles in her arms taut as she gripped the headboard tightly as if it would hold her in place. Her thighs clamped down on the sides of his hips as her lower half stiffened and rose up off the bed. Her vagina…her nest…her wonderful slick nest, sucked against him, pulsed in time with her heartbeat, and called…screamed his name demanding that he finish what he started.

_Holy Buddha and to all that is heavenly, save me, _he pleaded silently.

Tearing his eyes away from her face, Inuyasha glanced down at the place where his groin met hers. He watched with eager eyes as his condom clad staff dove into her time and again. He watched…reveled in the fact that she willingly took all of him in, never shying away, never hesitant.

Sitting back on his hunches, he grasped her hips as he repeatedly pulled her down to meet him while he undulated into her possessively, silently demanding that she never ever in her life betray him, that she never want another the way she wanted him, and demanding…begging…pleading that she release him from this hold that she had over him.

Kagome sprang up, so that she was straddling his lap, her arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders as she continued to vigorously grind down on him in hopes of bringing him to his end.

Inuyasha clutched at her backside as he allowed her to take control. He knew what was to come next. She would show him glimpses of a heaven that he dare not reach for. She would tease him with visions of a future that was not meant to be his, mere seconds before she forced him into the bowels of hell like she had done so many times before.

As her groin rolled against his… As he felt the last of his will slip just out of his grasp… As she laid her forehead flush against his, her eyes open staring at him, and begging him to understand this need…this unquenchable desire that they shared, Inuyasha hissed weakly, "I…I think…I think I hate you," as a pulse unlike anything he'd ever felt before ripped through him forcing him forward onto her as what felt like a barrel of semen spilled from him and into the condom.

His world grayed and was reborn in beautiful colors of reds and greens as his body…his hips…his arms, every inch of him spasmed and twitched above and in her.

The hanyou felt her soft lips on his, but he couldn't move, couldn't react. He felt her hand running sensually across his brow and down to his cheek, but he couldn't speak, couldn't tell her not to touch him because it hurt…because every nerve in his body was aching.

"Bab- Inuyasha?" he heard her whisper softly, and he cringed because he knew what she wanted to call him. It wasn't a bad thing, no, but it proved the point he was trying to make from the beginning.

This was a mistake, a massive, horrible, and irreversible mistake. He knew that if they took their friendship in this direction nothing good…nothing healthy would come of it. Not because he didn't want it to, but because relationships never ended well, and they all ended.

"Kagome?" he replied, his tone clipped as he pushed himself up and rolled to the side.

"Are you alright? For a minute there I thought I had lost you."

Inuyasha finally glanced at her. "I'm fine. I'm right here."

Rolling over so that she on her belly, she pushed up on her elbows as she stated unsurely, "Your eyes… They did that thing again."

"What? Turned red?"

"Yeah, but I could be mistaken; it happened so fast."

Stretching his arms over his head, the hanyou gazed over at her as she gnawed nervously on her lower lip.

_They turned red again, _he thought. _This isn't good. _He knew as much, but for the life of him, he just couldn't make himself think about that; he had bigger fish to fry and her name was, well, Higurashi Kagome.

He cared about her a lot, he knew that, but what was he supposed to do with that? Just because the sex that they had was astronomical didn't mean that it made for a good relationship. Just because she seemed to complement him in ways that he never thought were possible didn't mean that they needed to be in some kind of relationship at all.

So then what did it mean? What was he… What were they supposed to do with this mess that they'd created?

He knew that he couldn't just stop fucking her. Okay that was harsh, he realized. But regardless of how many other beautiful words he could've used to describe it, it would all mean the same thing.

Even more than that, they had a real friendship, something that was so innocent and untainted by distrust, guilt, manipulation and gossip that it wasn't something that he wanted to just toss to the side.

Not only that, but when he was with her, she made him feel as if he could accomplish anything. She made him feel as if he was the most powerful man…youkai…hanyou on earth, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the power, or the prestige that he and his family had. She made him feel like the world itself revolved around him. He knew it really didn't, but she had a way about her that made him feel and want to be more than he really was.

Perhaps it was for those reasons that he felt from the beginning… From the instant that she almost ran him off the road… From the second that he did away with that date of her's… The split second that he first knew she existed, he'd wanted to protect her.

The bed shifting drew him out of his private thoughts and he watched as she reached down on the floor and grabbed her bra and panties. A tiny voice in the back of his mind told him to stop her, but he couldn't for the life of him make his lips move.

He watched her step into her panties, and then slip into her bra seconds before she bent down and picked up her jeans and shirt.

Inuyasha sighed lightly, his heart caught between stopping her and letting her go.

He knew if he let her go perhaps that would serve to put a little more distance between them since they hadn't really been apart at all in almost five days. However, just the thought of her not being there with him…the knowledge that she would be leaving him thinking that she had done something or that he didn't want her, when he did, was enough to cause something deep within his core to rear forward, silently demanding that he fix this.

"Kagome, what are you doing?"

She didn't turn around as she replied almost too cheerily, "I'm going home. I…I have to go to work tomorrow."

Inuyasha stared at her back, totally aware that even though that was a true enough statement it was a lie just the same. She was distressed for whatever reason. She was hurting and he could feel it as if it was a third person in the room. He just didn't know why.

"Don't do this," he whispered against his better judgment.

Her movements stilled and her shoulders slumped forward as her head lowered, but she didn't turn to face him. "I'm not doing anything, Takahashi."

Inuyasha looked at the mirror in front and the right of where she was standing. It gave him just a glimpse of the side of her face, but what he saw…what he saw in her eyes…

"Kagome, look at me."

She shook her head as she proceeded to pull her shirt on, but she didn't comment.

Inuyasha could smell the beginning of tears, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why. Had he hurt her while they were making lov-having sex? Had he done something in the brief moment that she said his eyes had turned red?

Hoping against hope that neither of those was true, he questioned as he sat up, the covers falling so that they were barely covering his hips, "Did I do something to you?"

"No," she replied quickly as she stepped into her jeans and pulled them up around her waist.

"Then why can't you look at me?" His frustration starting to get the better of him, Inuyasha slipped out of the bed and spared only a brief moment to carefully remove the condom, and throw it in the trash. He then picked up the boxer briefs she had so unceremoniously tugged off of him with her teeth a few hours earlier and quickly stepped into them.

"Stay in bed, I'll…I'll call a cab. Besides, it's just after 6," she told him quickly as she started out of the room, but was stopped by a strong hand on her wrist.

Spinning her around to face him, Inuyasha's heart fluttered as he stared down at the unshed tears in her eyes. He couldn't understand what was happening. Sure, he was confused about their current situation, but he hadn't talked to her about any of it. So, what the hell would have her so upset?

"Talk to me," he demanded, lifting her chin so that she was staring up at him. "I can totally understand that you need to go to work tomorrow, but…" He stopped as he watched an errant tear slip down her cheek. Catching it, he finished, "…but I don't understand this. Make me understand, Kagome."

She shook her head, stepped back away from him and wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. "It's over, you know?"

Inuyasha released her wrist and shook his head negatively as he retorted, "No, no I don't know. What's over?"

"Our weekend is over. We had fun," she admitted, a blush staining her cheeks. "Now we go back to the real world."

"I thought we already talked about this? We're going to be taking this one day at a time."

Watching as she squirmed under his gaze, he forced himself not to push her. He didn't want her to leave like this, but he didn't want her to stay on his account either. Hell, he didn't really know what he wanted at the moment.

Stepping around her and into the hallway, he advised as he made his way towards his open kitchen, "Fine, if you want to leave, then take one of my cars, but I'm not about to let you jump into a cab with a complete stranger."

He knew she wasn't following him, but he could feel her staring holes into the back of his head. Stepping into the kitchen, the hanyou pulled open the refrigerator and took out two bottles of water, and then turned to the key rack. Pulling the keys to his BMW down, he set them on the counter for her to take when she passed.

He was pissed! Well, maybe not pissed, but annoyed.

Why? He couldn't really put his finger on it since a part of him wanted to let her leave, but…but damn it, not like this!

Popping the top on one of the bottles of water, he chugged half of it as he stepped out of the kitchen and into the hallway. Turning, he watched as Kagome leaned against the wall directly in front of his bedroom, her hands behind her back, her head down as if she was contemplating something.

She looked up at him, her eyes flitting between him and something behind him as if she wanted to say something but just didn't know how.

His heart that had been severely broken and bruised told him to just let her go. It told him not to stand in her way, because this way, she wouldn't be able to blame him.

However, a deep-seated part of him, one that reached into his very being, warred against that advice! It practically shouted at him that it would be a mistake…an irreconcilable mistake to let her leave.

Inuyasha watched her slowly make her way up the hallway, pick his car keys up off the counter, and her purse off the table near the door. As she grasped the door handle, he closed his eyes, his heart hammering within his chest, his soul screaming at him to stop her, to not let her leave like this.

"I'm not going to chase you, Kagome."

She stilled, he could smell the salt of her tears, but she didn't look back as she opened the door and proceeded through it without a word.

His chest lurched violently as he stared at the closed door. His breathing increased as his hand holding the water bottle tightened until the water burst from the container, spreading all over his leg, his hand, and the floor, but he didn't feel it...couldn't feel it All he knew was that she'd left and without telling him why.

He tried to turn away to go back to his room, but his feet wouldn't move. He tried to tell himself that it…that it was better this way…much better this way, but he didn't believe a word of it.

His life before her was a shell of an existence; it was nothing, absolutely nothing when compared to the way it was with her in it. She'd brought joy back to his dismal world. She'd brought laughter and a friendship unlike anything that he'd ever experienced. She'd brought hope, regardless of whether he wanted to admit it, into his life again.

No, he didn't want to go back to the way things were before her, he didn't want to ever go back to that.

What did this knowledge mean? What was he supposed to do with this?

His feet of their own accord moved towards the door as his hand reached for the handle and twisted. As he proceeded out the door, he stopped short, his eyes falling on her, Kagome, standing a few feet in front of him, her head down, the keys to his car dangling weakly from her fingers.

She looked up at him, her hair mussed, her eyes miserable. "I…I want to leave. I want to go home, but…but I can't," she whispered desperately. "Why can't I go home, Takahashi? Why can't…why can't I leave you?"

Inuyasha reached out quickly, pulling her to him. "I don't want you to go. Not tonight. Not like this, Kagome. Stay with me, please," he pleaded softly as he crushed her body against his. "Whatever is upsetting you, we can talk about it; we can talk about it."

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

Stepping out of a darkened corner, Kouga spared a bored glance at Dinshu as he dragged the struggling cunt of a woman around the corner and into the stairwell that sat just behind the elevator.

A small part of him felt a little sympathetic towards the woman because Dinshu may have been known for several things, but being gentle was not one of them.

Reaching into the elevator before the doors closed, he quickly picked up the lying tramp's discarded purse, and turned heading back to the outdoor entrance of the garage.

Normally, he wouldn't have ordered something like this to be done to a woman. After all, he did have a wife. But that bitch, whoever she was, was a liar, and who was she to lie to him?

_Does no one believe in telling the truth anymore? _he thought nonchalantly.

Sure, had he not been a demon with a nose that could smell a fart hours after the culprit that dealt it had left, she would've pulled the wool over his eyes. Unfortunately for her, the moment he stepped off the elevator, he could smell Kagome's scent as if she was there before him.

So the instant, she opened her mouth and started spewing nonsense about Kagome working for that company, but not out of that office… When she started rambling on and on about how she didn't personally know Kagome, he almost wanted to reach across the desk and rip her tongue out of her mouth!

_Lying fucking bitch, _he hissed silently as he stuck his hand in her purse and pulled out her wallet. Flipping it open, he quickly located her driver's license and removed it. Sliding that in his back pocket, should they need to pay her a visit once this was all done, he tossed the wallet away.

Digging his hand back into the purse as he stepped up to the large dumpster that was just outside of the garage, Kouga smiled as he pulled out the one and only item that he was after, her employee badge.

He knew that if this building was as secure as it appeared to be, the only way that he'd be able to gain access to Kagome's floor was with a secure pass.

Dropping the purse into the dumpster, he turned on his heels and started towards the street so that he could enter via the front door, thereby, garnering no added attention.

Smoothing out his high ponytail, the wolf demon stepped onto the sidewalk and slowly made his way towards the door as his cell phone sang to life in his pocket.

Glancing at the caller id, he flipped it open and stated smoothly, "Miss me?"

"Of course, when are you coming home, baby?" Ayame, his wife, questioned.

"Uhm… Well, I'm wrapping up some stuff right now, so hopefully I'll be home within the next day or so, but I can't say for sure."

"I see," Kouga heard her say before she continued, "I saw Ginta and Hakkaku. Did you know that someone shot Ginta?"

"Really," Kouga replied unable to put any real interest into his voice. "Did he say how it happened?"

"Well, I didn't get to talk to him since he was kind of out of it, but Hakkaku said that once you get back the two of you will sort it out, and make sure the person that did it pays."

"Did he now?" he questioned walking into the front door of the building. Glancing to his right and left, he started effortlessly towards the elevator as he added, "Well, you know I don't like when people mess with my boys."

"I know. That's why I'm really praying that you catch the bastard that did this, because he doesn't look good, Kouga. Hakkaku said that he's not healing as fast as he should be."

"No?" the wolf demon queried unable to make himself care in the least. Winking at a nameless woman walking by, he thought absently,_That lying fuck got what he deserved._

"No, he's not doing well. Ginta is such a sweetheart, he would never hurt anyone. I swear; he's afraid of lightning."

Kouga chuckled at that as he pushed the button for the elevator. "He is something of a punk, isn't he?"

"No, he's not a punk. He just has a soft heart," Ayame corrected softly.

Stepping into the elevator, Kouga pulled the badge out of his pocket and swiped it across the electronic pass, seconds before he pressed the button for the 37th floor. Stepping to the back of the elevator, he decided that he really didn't want to talk about that prick, who would be literally dead upon his arrival back to Kyoto.

"So, how much of my money did you spend?"

He heard her giggle girlishly before she questioned innocently, "What are you talking about? I didn't-"

"Yeah, right, as if I don't know my baby. If you don't watch it, you're going to put us in the poorhouse."

"I didn't spend that much. Besides, whatever it was, you'll make it back in less than a day."

Kouga laughed at that as the elevator dinged and the doors opened. Staring to his right and left, he carefully eyed the cleaning crew, and then turned and headed in the direction of the lying woman's desk.

Stepping quickly around the desk and towards the heavy oak door, he reached for the knob and turned, but it didn't budge.

_Shit!_

"Sir, can I help you?"

Turning, he came eye to eye with an older gentlemen that he was sure was part of the cleaning crew.

"Hey, let me call you back," the wolf demon said quickly into the phone. Not waiting for Ayame to reply, he flipped it closed as he turned his attention back to the old man. "Uhm, yeah. My girlfriend asked me to swing by and pick up her briefcase. She accidentally left it and needs it to finish up a spreadsheet that's due tomorrow."

The guy eyed him curiously, and Kouga had to wonder if this man was going to make him beat the shit out of him and take his keys, but relaxed when the older man smiled and stepped around him.

"That Higurashi is something else, I tell you. When she's not working late, she leaves the work she'd supposed to be doing," the man declared jokingly as he used his master key to unlock the door.

Stepping back as the guy pushed the door open, Kouga replied with a smirk, "Yeah, well I'm trying to get her to take an extended vacation with me, so don't be surprised if you don't see her around for a while."

"Vacations are always good," the man admitted, pushing his cleaning buggy further down the hallway. "Make sure you lock that door when you're done, and you better take care of Higurashi. That poor girl sure needs it as much as she works."

Stepping into the office, Kouga glanced around, a slow smile spreading over his face. Reaching back, he closed the door as he inhaled, reveling in the scent of her that enraptured every inch of his being. His mind floated...twisted and became submerged in wanton dreams and desires of her...of Kagome, his obsession.

All of the months, the weeks, the days, the hours, and the minutes that he'd spent looking for her… All if it accumulated in this one moment…this one second in time. To be this close to her… To be surrounded by her things, her scent, and the remnants of her aura; it was almost orgasmic.

Strolling slowly around her desk, he ran his claws carefully over the glass top as his eyes fell on a solitary picture that sat in the far corner of her desk.

It was a picture of her and her brother, Souta. He figured that her mother or the old man must have taken it, because it was a rather candid photo to say the least.

Souta apparently had her tossed over his shoulder and was stomping away when he looked back and grinned at the person with the camera, while at the same time Kagome looked up, her black hair cascading down around her shoulders, her hands gripping the back of Souta's pants tightly, and a grin…a smile…the prettiest, happiest, sincerest smile he'd ever seen on her face.

Picking up the picture, he sat down in her chair and stared at it, his eyes soft, his mind swimming with the idea that he'd finally found her and that it was just a matter of time before he laid eyes, and hands on her again.

_Gotcha…_

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

Her heart was racing, adrenalin pumping viciously, telling her that she needed to get away, that she needed to run.

He grabbed her, attempting to drag her out of the elevator. Her hands grasped at the doors in an attempt to pull herself away from him. _He's trying to take me somewhere, _she screamed in her head as she clung to the door, her fingers slipping with every millisecond that ticked slowly by.

"What are you doing? Leave me… Leave me alone!" Sango shouted as she swung at him with one hand while trying desperately to hold onto the smooth metal doors with the other.

"Awe, come on. You'll like it," Dinshu drawled with a grin as he reached out catching the wrist of the hand that she was swinging at him. Grasping her waist with his other hand, he spun her around and yanked her towards him, so that her back was flush against his chest.

"Let me go!! Help! Help!" she screamed throwing her head back in an attempt to connect with his face, his nose…something.

Clamping his hand over her mouth, Dinshu observed mildly, "Wow, you're something of a spit-fire, aren't you? I can hardly wait to get a taste of you."

_No, no! This can't be happening! No, _she thought angrily as she opened her mouth as much as she could and bit down on the inside of his hand. Grinding her teeth together until her jaw hurt, she screamed, "Fire! Fire! Fire!" the instant he removed his hand.

Dinshu growled, his patience waning as he picked her up and roughly dragged her from the elevator and around the corner to the stairwell where he'd been hiding earlier. "Keep screaming, bitch, I'll make sure I shove something in there," he hissed as he kicked open the door.

Walking in, he dropped her to the ground with a thud as he kicked the door closed behind him. "Cunt," he gritted out, sparing a glance down at his bleeding hand.

Sango scooted back away from him while she stared around the 4X8 stairwell. All she knew was that she needed to get away from this man…this beast! She needed to…

Her body wouldn't allow her mind to even finish that thought as it turned seemingly of its own will and she started crawling quickly up the stairs and away from her attacker.

Dinshu reached up, grabbing her ankle as she reached the first landing. Sango spun around, kicking out and catching him in his chest with her right foot, followed by a direct kick to his face with her left. He staggered back, almost falling and she took advantage of that.

Starting up the stairs again, she screamed at the top of her lungs, "Please someone help me! He's trying to rape me! Please!"

Dinshu was on her! Yanking her back down to the landing! He buried his knee in her back, a knife that he carried everywhere with him clutched in his hand. "Shut up or I'll cut your fucking tongue out," he warned, pressing the cold blade against the warm flushed skin of her neck.

Sango froze. She couldn't think…couldn't move, all she knew was the coldness of his weapon; the sharpness of it as it dug into her neck.

_Gods no! Not like this! Gods!!_

Digging his claws into the roots of her hair, he pulled viciously, twisting her head back so that she was looking at him. Running the blade of the knife slowly across her cheek, he grinned as he stared down at her, daring her to say one solitary thing…daring her to test or resist him.

She didn't.

"You're not going to fight me, are you?" he queried evenly, digging the tip of the knife into her upper cheek just enough that it drew a droplet of blood.

Sango shook her head no; her eyes tearing up as she stared up at the demon, silently praying that the gods themselves would drop from the sky and pummel him into the ground. This man…this youkai was less than a man…he was less than the dirt beneath her feet on a good day! He had no right to touch her like this! He had no right to…to hurt her!

Dinshu gripped her hair tighter and growled, "Roll over, and you better not say one fucking word."

Sango closed her eyes as the first of many tears began to flow slowly down her cheeks. She didn't want to comply, she didn't want to listen…to allow this monster to have his way with her, but…but if there was a chance that she'd see Miroku again…if there was a chance that she would survive this, she felt it necessary that…that she take it. No matter how horrendous…how annihilating it was to her soul…her very being. She had to…she had to take it.

Slowly turning, she held her palms open, showing him that she wasn't going to fight him.

He shifted, unfastened his belt, and unsnapped the button of his jeans moments before he gripped her throat tightly with one hand while he lowered the knife to the end of her dress and dragged it upward creating a loud, slow, ripping sound.

Sango shivered violently. Her life…the life that she wanted…the future that mere moments ago, was promised to her was slipping slowly from her grasp.

_No, _she thought angrily as she felt the tip of the knife brush against the bare skin of her belly, parting the material of her torn dress.

Turning her head away, she closed her eyes tightly willing away this moment…this hour…this day. She wanted to go back to this morning when she was lying safely in her fiancés' arms. She wanted to go back to when she was a child…an innocent child with no knowledge of sex or the violence that went along with it. She wanted to go back… She wanted to be anywhere but here.

Sango whimpered weakly as she felt him palm her breasts. This was wrong, so wrong! No one had ever touched her like this with the exception of Miroku. No one had a right to touch her like this without her permission! No one, damn it!

"Under different circumstances, I would take my time making love to you, but you've wasted so much time acting like a total bitch that, well… Well this might hurt a little," he whispered leaning forward so that his hot breath was on her ear.

Flicking out his tongue, Dinshu tasted her flesh as he dragged the tip of the knife down her side to her hip where he effortlessly sliced through her red thong panties. Sitting back, he stared down at her as if memorizing every groove of her body.

The wolf demon lifted the blade to her throat and pressed it firmly into her skin as he allowed his hand…his clawed fingers to trail slowly down over her body to her nest. He palmed her, allowed his fingers to open her maiden's lips as his knee forced her legs apart while he slid two or was it three of his fingers roughly into her, causing her to whimper and cry out in pain.

Sango tried to crawl inside herself. She tried to get lost in a memory of years gone by. She tried to tell herself that if she lay here…if she let him have what he wanted that she'd see her loved ones again. She would see Miroku and her brother again.

She needed to believe that! She needed to be able to believe that!

"You're dry, but don't worry when I'm done with you, you'll be nothing less than an ocean, I promise," he told her as he pulled his fingers out of her and plunged them viciously into her again.

She cried out in pain as her hips jerked back away from his hand. She felt something inside of her rip…tear. Biting down on her lower lips, her face set in a grimace, she repeatedly told herself not to scream, not to speak, and to take what he gave because she could not let him break her!

He leaned down towards her, flicked his tongue out and licked up the side of her face. And at that moment she wanted to die! At that moment…in that very second and as the world outside that room continued to turn, her world stopped.

"Sango!!"

Her eyes snapped open, her body stiffening!

Dinshu looked up, bringing the knife up to her throat. _No fucking way!! Nobody is supposed to be here!_

"Sango, where are you!"

"Miroku!!" she screamed hoarsely as the strength of an unknown force took over her. Pushing, kicking and fighting against her assailant, she forced him up off of her as she shouted, "I'm here! Oh God, I'm here!"

"I'm coming!"

Dinshu heard the footsteps of more than one person-all of them human-and he growled angrily as he pushed up the rest of the way off of her. "Fuck!" Looking as if he was debating on whether he should stay and fight or run, he glared down at her and grinned while licking his bloodied fingers that were previously buried inside her.

"We ain't done, bitch!"

Sango sat up, pushed back towards the wall as she watched him turn and hightail it out of the door at the base of the steps!

Her heart…her soul….her mind broke, cracked, and snapped into a million pieces. The world around her blurred and twisted as her heart throbbed in her chest, as her breathing became labored and heavy. She was hyperventilating, she knew that, but she was powerless to stop it.

Curling up in a ball in the corner, she gripped the pieces of her torn dress, trying to cover herself, as tears streamed down her face, as her mind told her that this wasn't over.

She heard his words…that monster's departing words replay over and over in her mind, _"We ain't done, bitch!"_

"San… San…go," Miroku whispered jumping down the last three steps.

Staring at him, she curled further into the corner as if trying to hide herself, as if she was trying to disappear from life itself.

She didn't want him to see her! She didn't want him to look at her and see the filth that that bastard had left on her! She didn't want him to see that she was…she was violated!

He reached for her and her world crumbled into nothingness as she swung out violently at him; hating him, hating herself, and hating that prick for taking what wasn't his to take!

"No don't…don't touch me! Leave me alone!" she screamed, pushing her back into the wall in hopes that it would open up and swallow her. Turning away, she banged her forehead hard against the cement wall and screamed, "Why me? Gods, why me? Why didn't you help me? Why didn't you stop him?" as she tugged and pulled at her matted hair.

Staring down at his fiancé, Miroku didn't know whether she was screaming at him or at the gods themselves, but he didn't care. Nothing mattered, nothing with the exception of making sure that she was alright.

Dropping to the ground beside her, he grabbed her hands and pulled her away from the wall and quickly towards him. He closed his eyes to the large pool of blood that was growing beneath her, and held her close as he whispered sweet words of reassurance in her ear, and promised her that he wouldn't leave her as her body violently trembled, shook, and quaked against his; her heart…her soul shattering…her very being disappearing right before his very own eyes.

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

"_Mine"_

He heard it as if it was said by someone or something stooping beside him, whispering in his ear, but it didn't make sense; there was no one there…there couldn't have been anyone there, since he was sound asleep, wasn't he?

"_Mine"_

Inuyasha sat up abruptly; his eyes wide open as he stared around the room looking for the owner of the voice. His heart was hammering within his chest as if he had been having some kind of nightmare. But that couldn't be right, because he couldn't even remember dreaming.

Glancing down at Kagome, who was cuddled beside him, he frowned in thought as he slid out from under the covers and off the bed. Pulling up the sheets around her so that they were tucked tightly under her chin, he adjusted his pajama bottoms moments before making his way into the hallway and towards the guest bathroom.

"_Mine"_

Inuyasha jumped and spun around ready to fight if need be. Looking for the owner of the voice but finding nothing and no one, he sighed heavily as he ran his clawed fingers through his tussled silver mane.

_What the fuck is going on, _he thought, backing up and then turning and breaking into a trot the rest of the way to the bathroom that set at the opposite end of his penthouse.

Quickly turning on the cold water, he proceeded to splash his face.

_I must be fucking dreaming. I can't…I can't be hearing things! Gods, what's wrong with me? Nothing makes fucking sense anymore!_

Gripping the marble sink, he stared at his reflection as he tried to tell himself that he wasn't losing it, he wasn't on the brink of insanity, and that there had to be a rational explanation for what he was hearing…for what was happening to him.

"_Mine", _he heard again, and his heart almost stopped as he watched his eyes flash to red then back to gold.

"No, no fucking way! Holy shit!" he hissed, jumping back away from the sink, and bumping into the large hamper that sat near the tub, which fell causing him to reach out for the towel rack in order to steady himself. Unfortunately, under his weight that gave out too, causing him to hit his elbow on the end of the tub as he crumpled to the floor.

"Damn it!" he ground out clutching his throbbing elbow. "Son of a bitch!"

Rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands, the hanyou couldn't stop the ultimate feeling of fear that gripped every inch of his being, telling him that he was losing his mind and that his world as he knew it had just ended.

He didn't like this! He didn't like not being in control and right now…right now, he felt like he was anything, but in control.

He didn't know how he felt where Kagome was concerned, he just knew that the thought of being without her, well, it scared the shit out of him. The thought of her leaving earlier… It was crazy, absolutely and without a doubt nuts, because had she been anyone else, he would've told her to not let the door hit her on the way out!

The reason for them being at his house now… Shit, he hadn't even meant to bring her here after they'd come back from the mountains, but a part of him wanted to prove to her that he was trustworthy, it wanted to prove to her that he wouldn't hurt her.

He still didn't totally understand why she'd flipped out earlier, but he figured that it had something to do with him and the way he was acting immediately after they had had sex. But just like everything else that he wasn't in control of, it was like his mouth had a mind of its own too. Once he was able to coax her back into the house, she refused to move from the living room until he reassured her that he had no regrets and he still wanted to take this _friendship _one day at a time.

Of course, he said it, every word of it just to appease her, not that it wasn't the truth.

No, he wasn't in control of any aspect of his life, not by any stretch of the imagination. It felt…it felt like he was just along for the fucking ride.

Inuyasha pushed himself to his feet slowly. "Okay, I'm not losing-"

"Inuyasha?" he heard Kagome call out from somewhere near the living room. "Where are you?"

Shuffling out the bathroom, he quickly pulled the door to and replied, "I'm right here," and started down the hallway, his heart still beating rapidly within his chest. Stepping out of the darkness and up to her, he questioned, "Missed me, wench?"

Narrowing her eyes at him, she reached up and wiped away the water that was dripping from his chin. "What were you doing? I heard a crash."

"I slipped?" he retorted unsure of exactly how he should respond.

"Okay, but that doesn't explain why you were way down there."

Staring down at her as she stood a few feet from him wearing one of his white t-shirts, he sighed lightly and admitted, "I had a messed up dream, and I didn't want to wake you, so I went down to the other bathroom."

Kagome giggled as she reached for his hand and guided him back to the bedroom. "Poor baby had a bad dream; do you want me to tell you a bedtime story or maybe fix you a cup of warm milk?" she questioned facetiously.

Staring at her back, Inuyasha realized that his heart rate almost immediately-upon her touch-went back to normal. As he stared down at her small hand gripping his, he realized that none of it mattered, none of it, at least not right now, because she was here and she was…she would make everything alright.

"Mine?" he muttered to himself as she released his hand and climbed into bed.

"What was that?" Kagome questioned eyeing him carefully.

"No…nothing. Just something I remembered from that weird dream I had," replied, slipping into bed beside her.

Waiting for her to shift so that she was laying with her head on his chest, her arm draped across his stomach, Inuyasha kissed her forehead and pulled her closer as he allowed his eyes to drift slowly closed while his mind almost immediately became a muddled mess of incoherent whispers of dreams past and yet to come, but one whisper would stand out above all others…one whisper that he wished he hadn't heard at all, _"Mine."_

**Until Next Time…** (Your .02 cents is greatly appreciated!!)

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Next Chapter: **The Last to Know** (Don't let the name fool you)

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_**Acknowledgements:**_ (All others have been sent PM's)

**Menaii:** Thanks for your wonderful review, my new friend, I hope this chapter did not disappoint.

**Just a Person:** Thanks for your review, and I'm sorry about Sango, but she's not out of the woods just yet…lol. Oh, that's not really funny, is it?

**MBC:** I'm so glad you don't think I'm horrible, but you know with the next chapters coming up, you might just change your mind…(grins). Thanks for your wonderful review my new friend!!

**EvilGenius27:** Wow, you guys like Sango! I almost feel bad for what I did to her in the next few chapters…lol. Seriously, thanks for your wonderful review, my friend.

**Jin**: Hello my excited friend, I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long and that at least some of your questions were answered. Thanks for your wonderful reviews and support!!

**Nathalee**: I don't really have anything to say, I just love your reviews. I don't know why, they just make me smile. Anyway, thanks for your continued support, most devoted one, and I look forward to hearing your input on this chapter. Oh, and for you, I will be updating Confrontations II, shortly-not today, but soon, and only because of your review, thanks!!


	38. The Last to Know

**A/N:** As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness!! I've been meaning to update this chapter since last week sometime, but I went home to visit my family and my laptop didn't really seem to like their type of internet access. I'm having or rather have been having a horrible week, but I figure it will get better eventually-I have to believe that-otherwise I'll lose my everlasting mind. I won't bore you guys with the details, but I will ask you all to pray for me-if you believe in that kind of stuff. Anyway thanks for your wonderful reviews and a special thanks to my beautiful beta, Neko, I hope you enjoy the compromise…(kisses).

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**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, Nola, Dr. Aikio, and Dinshu. All others belong to the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi.

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_**Chapter 38:**_

_**The Last to Know**_

If someone would've asked her if she was bewildered, Kagome probably would've outright laughed at them, because that was an incredible understatement.

She and Inuyasha had gone their separate ways upon leaving her place earlier that morning after he'd taken her home so that she could get dressed for work, and pick up her car.

The drive to work was the same as it was any other day; the roads were congested, but the traffic still flowed, and no matter which radio station she turned to, she always caught the tail-end of one of her favorite songs.

There was nothing, absolutely nothing out of the ordinary happening, well, that was until she pulled into the garage of her office building and tried to park her car.

The place was littered-literally-with police officers and security personnel. It seemed like something had taken place somewhere between the elevator and the stairwell, which was cordoned off by yellow tape, but she couldn't make herself care even a little as to what that might have been.

After showing her ID to one of the flashlight cops that were ID-ing everyone before they would allow them to enter the elevator, she was able to finally make her way up to the lobby where the three ring circus was in full swing.

They appeared to have the lobby divided in two; one side for the women, the other side for the men. The side for the women was moving fast enough, so she'd decided that that was okay, but she couldn't help but to wonder what the hell was going on as she watched a lady officer swab the inside of one gentleman's jaw while a male officer took fingerprints from another man.

She'd thought to ask one of the ladies standing in front of her what was going on, but decided quite quickly that she'd just wait for Sango to get in, knowing she'd have the latest gossip.

As she stepped into the elevator after showing her ID for the second time, she was able to relax just a little, but as soon as the doors opened to her floor, she found more security officers meandering around.

Some were questioning the other Attorneys on her floor while the others that weren't fingerprinting doorknobs and whatnots appeared to be standing guard.

She'd almost made it to her office, the key was in the hole, all she had to do was twist, but damn it…damn it…damn it, there was the CFO's assistant, Calico, standing behind her telling her that she was needed in his office right away.

She'd asked if she could take a moment to just put her purse and jacket down, but the _witch_ cut her off abruptly telling her, _"No Ma'am, he needs to see you immediately."_

Trying to push away her irritated thoughts, Kagome carefully picked up the porcelain coffee cup and took a sip as she waited, or rather tried to wait patiently for her immediate supervisor, Yamaguchi Takeda, to enter the office.

_If this impromptu meeting was so freaking urgent, shouldn't he be here? _

Setting the cup back down on the ceramic coaster so that it didn't mark the polished oak table, she shifted in the high back chair in an attempt to get a little more comfortable, but she quickly realized that comfort was probably the last thing the chair was made for.

As she eyed the massive office that was easily three times the size of her own, she groaned and rolled her eyes almost childishly.

Sure, she had visited this monstrosity more than a few times in the months that she'd been working for the Law Firm, but she figured that she'd never get use to just how immense and egocentric it was.

Kagome reached up and rubbed the back of her neck in an attempt to quiet her rising anxiety.

The police in the garage, the division of the lobby into men and women, and the urgency of this so _not_ urgent meeting… None of it made any sense!

Of course, she knew that something bad had to have taken place, but what and why the hell would she be called in here when she was more than certain that she didn't have any meetings scheduled with him this week?

_What the hell is going on?_

Turning her head at the sound of the door opening, Kagome quickly pushed back away from the table and stood to her feet as she watched her boss, Yamaguchi, enter followed by a gentleman wearing a worn gray suit who looked to be in his early to late thirties, and a woman wearing a feminine version of the same hideous suit.

Bowing, Kagome greeted politely, "Good morning, Yamaguchi-sama."

Yamaguchi bowed in return and quickly turned his attention to the two people accompanying him. "Higurashi Kagome, this is Detective Shu and his partner, Detective Lui." After they each bowed, he then directed, "Please have a seat."

Reclaiming the seat she had just vacated, Kagome slowly eyed each of the people at the table questioningly before she spoke; her question directed at Yamaguchi, "I don't understand what's going on. Why are they here?"

Yamaguchi, Lui, and Shu, each shared a knowing glance before Detective Shu began, "There was an altercation last night in the garage and someone was hurt."

"What does that have to do with me?" Kagome snapped not meaning to. But the feeling of unease, of not knowing, of feeling as if she was missing something important was an overwhelming thing.

"It may have nothing at all to do with you, but then again it may have everything to do with you," Shu's female partner, Lui, interjected cryptically. "A few weeks ago, we were contacted by your IT department informing us that your company's firewall had been hacked into."

Staring at Yamaguchi, Kagome quickly looked away and towards the only other woman in the room. Squaring her shoulders, she declared firmly, "I still don't understand what this has to do with _me_."

"Of the 103,000 files and the 15 partner files that are secured in the company's main frame, your file was the only file that was tampered with," Shu replied, his eyes staring her down as if he was waiting for her to do or say something incriminating.

Kagome took her time digesting that tidbit of information, but it still didn't make a lick of sense to her. There was no one that she knew of that would or could do something like that, and even if she did, they wouldn't have a reason to do it.

Taking her time staring at the three people, all of which were sitting across the table from her, Kagome inhaled deeply, silently telling herself to remain calm; otherwise she would look as if she was guilty of something when she most certainly wasn't.

"Am I being accused of something, Yamaguchi-sama?"

"No…no of course not, Higurashi."

"What information of mine was tampered with?" she questioned, turning her attention to the detectives.

"Nothing was changed. It appears that whoever did it was merely looking for information on you," Lui interjected, her eyes narrowed accusatorily.

"That doesn't make sense. There isn't anyone that I know of that would do something like that or would need to. My family and friends know where I am and how to reach me."

"Is there anyone in particular that you may not want to know of your whereabouts; perhaps someone from your past? Someone that may want to hurt you, Higurashi?" Shu questioned as he reached into his breast pocket and flipped open his little notepad as if he thought she was about to give him an ear full.

The Detective's questions rolled aimlessly around her mind as she slowly eyed him while wondering if this was some sort of joke that she just wasn't getting. _Someone that I wouldn't want to find me… Well, Kouga, but he's married, he's gone on with his life and…and besides that, he would never, he could never do something like this! He would never physically hurt me or even try to physically hurt me, _she thought decidedly, seconds before brushing that thought away all together.

"What? No! Of course not!" Kagome avowed vehemently, turning her attention back to the people before her. "I'm not running from anyone or anything!" She was seriously starting to feel like she was being accused of something, even if it wasn't being stated directly.

"You recently relocated from Kyoto, is that right?" Shu questioned evenly.

"Yes, but I'm sure you already knew that, didn't you?" Kagome snapped, wondering exactly why in the hell she was still in here listening to this crap.

Regardless of what system was hacked into, or what happened down in that damn garage none of this shit had anything to do with her, damn it! She had work to do, meetings to attend to, and a lunch date to keep!

"Higurashi, please calm down," Yamaguchi advised quietly. "They're just doing their jobs." Turning his attention to the two detectives sitting next to him, he finished sternly as if warning them to tread lightly with their current line of questioning, "No one, and I mean no one is accusing you of anything."

"No, of course not," Shu affirmed quickly.

Regardless of what these bastards sitting in front of her were saying, she felt like she was on the hot seat! She felt like she was being accused of something damn it! She felt like she was guilty until proven innocent!

"I'm not answering another question until someone tells me something that makes sense," Kagome bit out, her arms crossed defiantly beneath her breasts. "I'm a partner in this firm, and I will not be treated like anything less!"

"Higurashi-"

"No," she snapped, standing to her feet, her palms flat against the table top beneath her. "I know my rights! I don't have to sit here and answer these questions as if I've done something wrong when I haven't! I hope you find the bastards that hacked into the companies system, but this has nothing to do with me!"

"Sit down and shut up!" Lui snapped, standing up and slamming her hands against the table. "This has everything to do with you! We just don't know how, and we need to talk to you to figure it out!"

Kagome glared across the table at the woman, silently daring her to make her sit down.

Standing to his feet, Yamaguchi started slowly around the table. Placing his hand on Kagome shoulder, he stated sadly, "Last night in the garage, Higurashi, your assistant…was attacked."

Kagome gasped and stepped back as she turned to look at him, her face clearly telling him that she was perplexed. "What?"

"Your assistant… Someone tried to… She was attacked," Yamaguchi reiterated softly.

Kagome stared up at him, her eyes searching his face for some hint of this being a sick joke, but she found none. "San…Sango?"

"Yes. She was leaving the office after a meeting with Mr. Nahara. From what we can assess from speaking with her fiancé, she was on her way to meet him when she saw that her rear tire was flat. He doesn't know what happened after he told her to go back up to the lobby and wait for him, but based on what security and the police have gathered, the Assailant was waiting for her in the garage." Watching as the baffled young woman slowly sat down, he continued, "She struggled with her Assailant, but he was able to drag her out of the elevator and into the stairwell."

Kagome continued to gawk at him, half hearing what he was saying and half not hearing it. _Sango…attacked…Assailant waited on her…Tire flat…Stairwell, _she thought while lifting her hand to cover her mouth as a dry sob escaped her.

"In speaking with the other Paralegals on your floor, we were told that there was a man…a youkai that visited early yesterday morning. Based on what he told Sango-chan, he had heard of you from a friend and was seeking a moment of your time. This gentleman, that no one seems to remember seeing before, did not have an appointment and would not leave his name when she asked him for it. Her fiancé verified this, because Sango called and told him about it shortly after the fact."

Kagome looked up at him, her eyes wide and glossy. "Where…where is she? How…how is she? Is she… Oh god," she whimpered as she looked away, a tear slipping down her cheek. Wiping it away quickly, she did her best the still her resolve as she turned her attention towards the two detectives. "I don't know anything about this. I swear I don't."

Shu sighed and sat back, his countenance rueful. Running his hand down his haggard looking face, he stated, "If you add what Yamaguchi-sama has informed you of to the system being hacked, I'm sure you will understand why we needed to speak with you."

Kagome nodded slowly, her mind a muddled pond of incoherent desperate thoughts of Sango and Assailants.

"Forget about figuring out if there is anyone that would want to hurt you," Lui offered. "Is there anyone that you know of that would want to hurt others to get to you?"

"I don't know anyone that horrible, I'm…I'm sorry." Shaking her head as she reached up and wiped away another errant tear, Kagome questioned quickly, "The cameras in the elevators, did…did they catch anything?"

"Unfortunately, there are no cameras in the main elevators or on the upper floors for privacy reasons, but we are going through the images from the lobby in hopes of putting together an electronic line-up for Sango-sama to look at," Shu told her reassuringly.

"What about the cameras in the garage? Surely, they would've caught something," Kagome declared hopefully, leaning forward.

"We had those disc transferred to the police station, but unfortunately the culprit had the lens of each camera spray painted black," Lui answered quickly, and then tossed back a question of her own, "Do you have any crazy ex-boyfriends that are obsessed with you?"

"No! I told you there's no one in my life-past or present-that would do something this…this hideous!"

"I understand what you're saying, Higurashi, but please try to understand what we're trying to tell you," Shu began, standing from his chair. "There is reason to believe that someone is after you and they will stop at nothing to get to you."

"That…That… That's stupid." Kagome looked up, pleading with him with her eyes to make her understand what was going on. "No, that…that just doesn't make sense! There's no one that would do something like this to get to me! No one would have to!"

"Your companies secure firewall was hacked; the only information looked at was your personal information. A stranger shows up at your office looking specifically for you. That same night, your assistant is attacked in the garage when this office building has never had a crime of any kind. The tires on her car were intentionally slashed, and the camera lens in the garage-all of them-were spray painted black," Shu reiterated before he continued, "You're an Attorney, and a damn fine one I've heard, Higurashi, so it shouldn't take you long to put two and two together."

She heard him, she did, but she couldn't think…couldn't rationalize everything that he was saying. This…none of it was making sense! Who…who would want to do something like this? Who would want to…Who would want to hurt someone like Sango to get to her?

"Higurashi, as of right now you're on leave until this mess is resolved," Yamaguchi interjected, cutting into her thoughts.

"No! Why? I can do my job!"

"Please try to understand, Higurashi. You are a very important part of this firm, but we have to make sure that the rest of our employees are safe too."

"What…what are you saying?"

"All I'm saying is that we feel it would be best that you go some place safe since it is apparent that the monsters that attacked Sango-chan are aware of your place of business. That being the case, your being here not only puts you in more danger, but it places the rest of our employees in danger as well," Yamaguchi clarified.

_It's my fault? It's my fault that Sango got attacked? They're saying… He's saying it's my fault, _Kagome thought despondently. _No…no that can't be right! There's no way that I know anyone that would do something like this!_

"Do you have some place safe that you can go?" Lui questioned.

Kagome looked at her without seeing her, but she heard her…she heard her clear as day. _Safe…safe…safe… Some place safe…to go?_

"If you don't, we can give you a security detail," Shu interjected, eyeing her carefully.

Standing to her feet, Kagome started towards the door ignoring them, her mind trying desperately to make sense of everything that had been said to her. Clutching her purse to her chest, she stopped at the door of the office and asked, "How long… How long will it take to catch the person that…that did this?"

Stepping towards her, Yamaguchi advised, "Time is not something that you should be concerned with, Higurashi. Take a trip somewhere or go home to visit your family and friends. I'm sure the detectives will keep you abreast to the situation."

"My clients… My appointments… Yamaguchi-sama, this isn't making any sense," Kagome blustered desperately.

She felt as if her life was coming undone, her world…her new found peace with Inuyasha was slipping away as if it was nothing more than an errant dream or a wistful wish.

"Don't worry about any of that. We'll have your files distributed between the other Attorneys until its safe for you to return."

"But there's no proof!" Kagome glanced at the detectives that were standing nearby. "There's no proof that these people…these monsters are after me! Everything… Yamaguchi-sama, you know that everything they're saying is circumstantial at best!"

Smiling down at her, he replied in a fatherly tone, "That is true, but unfortunately it is a chance that we cannot take. Surely, you understand that, Higurashi?"

She wanted to continue arguing her point. She wanted to stand there and make him understand that this had nothing at all to do with her, but she could tell from the look in his eyes that his mind was made up. Just like the detectives standing over near the table with knowing looks on their faces, he had already arrived at his decision and nothing she said was going to change that.

Glancing up at him quickly, she bowed, her purse still clutched to her chest. "I…I do not agree with this assessment, but…but I do understand it."

Patting her on the back after she stood up straight again, Yamaguchi responded mildly, "You always did have a good head on your shoulders, Higurashi. And don't you worry; we'll make sure that your office remains as it is for your return."

Pasting on a regretful smile, Kagome started out the door slowly. She didn't feel the floor beneath her feet or the cool air blowing against her skin from the vents above her. It felt as if she was traveling through a foggy tunnel of sorts; seemingly stumbling to destinations unknown.

She didn't see the people she passed, she didn't hear their well wishes and words of sympathy for Sango, all she saw…all she felt…all she knew was that she was coming undone…all she understood was that none of this made any sense.

* * *

**Simonkal of Inuy**

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"Your next meeting is scheduled for 12:30 in the Riverview conference room," Nya stated from her seat in front of Takahashi's desk. "It's with Mr. Manohon, the liaison for the Clydex Corporation. He's coming in to finalize the requirements for the merger with Syntex Manufacturing."

Shaking his head since he hadn't really heard much else before or after she said 12:30, Inuyasha advised mildly while tapping the claw of his forefinger against the glass top of his desk, "I can't do it. I have lunch plans."

Sighing lightly, Nya closed her daily planner and sat forward. As of late, it seemed to always be the same thing with him. Either he was canceling a meeting or rescheduling it, but never would he give her an explanation.

"You can't cancel this meeting, Takahashi. Mr. Manohon flew in from Cincinnati last night specifically for this."

Inuyasha stared at her without really seeing her. His mind miles away, stuck in a time long passed, trying desperately to make sense of the voice…that damn voice that was so distinct…so adamant that it was as if it was someone with a body…a spirit standing over his shoulder shouting at him.

He was honestly starting to believe that maybe he was going crazy. Maybe this whole thing with Kagome and her past was getting to him. Hell, that had to be it, because nothing else made sense!

"Takahashi, are you listening to me?" Nya growled, noticing the far off look in his eyes.

Shaking his head, Inuyasha turned back towards Nya, his eyes seeing her, but his mind muddled with a million different thoughts and things that he couldn't understand, but desperately wanted to.

"Yeah, I'm listening."

"Well what did I just say?" Nya challenged.

"You said that you were going to remove your balls from my neck and leave me the hell alone for a while," he replied, half joking with her.

Nya shook her head and rolled her eyes. "If you hadn't taken yesterday off, you would be able to keep your lunch plans, but unfortunately this is a priority."

Swiveling the chair he was sitting in around so that he was looking out the floor to ceiling window that made up an entire wall of his office, Inuyasha inhaled deeply and stared out the window. He just couldn't focus. He couldn't get his mind to stay on anything if it didn't have to do with Kagome or that damn voice.

Was he really asking that much to be left alone for a little while? Granted, he hadn't seriously asked Nya any such thing, but still, was he really asking too much? He just needed a moment to think. He needed a second to get his mind right, for lack of a better explanation.

"What time is it?"

"11:30, why?" Nya retorted.

"Can you move the appointment out a few hours?"

"I probably can, but it doesn't look professional, Takahashi. Besides what, or should I say, _who_ is so important that you're willing to rearrange your schedule like this?"

Swiveling his chair around to face her, Inuyasha snapped, his tone clipped, "Does it really matter? Just try to reschedule the damn appointment, or get Sesshomaru to handle it!" He didn't mean to be short with her, but damn it, this freaking meeting with this piss ant was the least of his worries at the moment.

"He's not in. Rin-chan had a doctor's appointment today and there is a chance that they might be keeping her, so he wanted to be there."

That got the hanyou's attention and served to calm his rapidly rising ire. "Is she in labor?" he questioned sitting forward his elbows propped up on his desk.

"Not that I know of, no."

"So then why might they keep her?"

"Well from what I gathered from Jakken, because of her small stature and the fact that she's carrying twins, they might have to induce labor. It just depends on the size of the babies."

Sitting back in his chair, Inuyasha directed, "Get an hourly update from Jakken and let me know the moment you know whether they're going to be keeping her or letting her go home."

"Will do…" Nya affirmed tightly.

Pretending to jot something down on the notepad she always brought to their meetings, Nya silently cogitated on whether she should tell him about the charges to his credit card.

She figured that there was a very good chance that he would never find out about it, but on the other hand she felt like he needed to know.

More to the point, after stewing over it during the weekend, she'd surmised that because of the location of the charges there was only one person that could've done it. And perhaps it was because of that person, that she seriously didn't want to tell him anything about it.

She knew that if she told him that she thought Kikyo and whoever she was with now was using his card that it would only serve to reopen old wounds that were only now starting to close. Still, she felt as if she owed him the truth regardless of the outcome.

_I have to tell him. I just won't tell him everything. I'll generalize it, _she thought as she flipped to another page and started doodling.

Staring at Nya as if she should have known that their meeting was over, Inuyasha said, "We're done here, and try to move that meeting to 2 or 3."

"Takahashi-"

Cutting her off, Inuyasha declared firmly, his tone exasperated, "Just try, okay?"

"Sure, but…but there's something else I need to speak with you about."

Leaning his head back against the high back, plush, leather chair, the hanyou closed his eyes and sighed, wanting nothing more than to be left alone for a few minutes. "Go ahead."

"There have been a few fraudulent charges on your American Express Card," Nya started. Other than a slight down turn at the corners of his mouth, she didn't notice anything else that would alert her that she should stop, so she continued, "I've taken care of it, and also informed the card company that you want to prosecute whoever is responsible."

She waited for him to say something, but all she got was a soft sigh, so she finished, "I've also verified that all of your other accounts including your bank accounts are secure."

Leaning his head to the side so that it rested on his raised fist, Inuyasha cracked open his eyes and stared at her wondering, _If she already handled this bullshit, why the hell is she telling me about it?_

"Great job, anything else?" he queried, his tone placating.

Nya stared at him, unable to fully comprehend this new found nonchalance that he seemed to wear like a well fitted hat. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing's up with me, what's up with you?" the hanyou sneered before he could stop himself.

"I just told you that someone was using your card fraudulently and you barely even blink about it. You don't ask what they charged, how much, or even where the charges took place."

"Why should I care? Didn't you just say that you took care of it?" Inuyasha retorted as if she should have known better.

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Well nothing. I pay you to do a job, and I am trusting you to do it."

Nya shook her head, deciding quickly that maybe it was better this way. At least she wouldn't have to tell him that she thought the culprit was none other than Kikyo. Standing quickly to her feet, she told him, her tone agitated, "I'll be at my desk if you need me."

Steeping his clawed fingers, Inuyasha sat back and watched her as she neared the door. He knew he was wrong for being short and clipped with her, because she wasn't the problem, at least not this time.

Exhaling a breath that he wasn't aware he was even holding, he acknowledged, "Oh, and Nya, thanks for taking care of that."

She glanced at him, but didn't respond as she stepped out the door and pulled it closed behind her.

Sighing heavily, he tried not to think about anything at all for a few minutes, but it seemed that the harder he tried, the more those thoughts twisted into things he wasn't ready to admit or even willing to accept.

He enjoyed being around Kagome, well more than enjoyed it, but he needed to put some distance between them. He needed to stop what was happening behind the scenes…the things that were happening within his heart and within hers.

This morning when they'd woken up, she looked at him with a look that couldn't be mistaken for anything else but adoration, and he couldn't rightfully say that it wasn't welcomed, or that for a brief moment he didn't look back at her in the same manner.

He knew he was falling for her, like a suicidal man plunging to his death off of a deadly cliff. And she…she was falling, he knew it, she was falling for him like rain from the heavens.

In a perfect world his thoughts would seem stupid, childish, unwarranted even, but in this world…his world nothing, absolutely nothing was perfect.

He needed to stop what was happening between them, he needed to break the hold she had over him and he needed to make her take a step back so that she could see for herself what was happening. But as much as he knew he needed to do this, there was a vehement, palpable part of him that wouldn't allow him to do anything about it.

He'd thought on a few scarce occasions that maybe this was what people called destiny, serendipity, or fate, but just as quickly as those thoughts occurred, he pushed them away because truthfully, in his mind, there was no such thing.

The hanyou scoffed dryly, "Destiny… Fate… Serendipity… That's the bullshit that idiots who don't know how it feels to have their fucking hearts ripped out of their chest and stepped on right in front of their eyes believe in. It doesn't exist, never has…never will."

Having said all that, he still found it hard to come to a finite decision where, she, Kagome, was concerned. It was like his head knew what he should do and say, but his heart it was guiding him in a totally different direction while that other part of him that he couldn't quite label…his soul maybe, it was like it had something totally different in mind for him…for her, for them, and that was the part that he had no control over.

The hanyou didn't know whether he was coming or going. He didn't understand what was happening in his head or in his heart. He didn't feel as if he had control over himself at all, and in a sick…a twisted way, he felt like a part of him was in a way obsessed with her.

His thoughts… His feelings… His dreams…

_Damn it, _he hissed standing abruptly to his feet. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he scowled out the window at the cement roof tops below him and for one brief instant he felt free as if he was running…racing along the skyline like he'd done so many times in his younger years.

_To be free… To actually feel free…sane for one moment…for a few hours_, he thought as he turned and stopped dead in his tracks.

"Ka…Kagome?"

"I'm sorry Takahashi-sama, but I stepped away for a moment, and there she was," Nya advised, looking away from Inuyasha and towards the young woman that looked more than a little upset.

Stepping around his desk quickly, the hanyou couldn't pull his eyes away from her as she stood there, her head down, and her purse clutched to her chest. There was something wrong with her, he knew that immediately. He could smell the salt of tears long shed, feel the raw emotion rattling through her, desperately begging for relief.

"Nya, it's fine," he confirmed walking towards the two woman, one who had yet to even look at him, the other gaping at him questioning what the hell was going on. Inuyasha pushed Nya gently out the door and closed it, locking it behind her.

Turning back to Kagome, he sighed as he leaned back against the door. "Kagome, what's up? What happened?"

She turned slowly and looked up at him, her eyes red and puffy. "I'm sorry. I…I didn't know…" She wiped her nose with the back of her hand and sniffled as she looked down again. "I…I didn't know where else to go. I'm…I'm sorry. I…I shouldn't have come here."

Reaching out to her, he pulled her into his arms and held her tightly seconds before she broke down. Everything that she'd been holding in…everything that she had been fighting to keep in came out in wave after wave of trembles and shakes that ravaged her lithe body.

Inuyasha closed his eyes, pulled her closer and inhaled her sweet scent. Allowing it to enrapture every orifice of his mind, his body, and his soul, he whimpered softly as he tried to pull her a little closer.

She buried her face in his chest, fisted her hands in his shirt and sobbed like she'd just lost a dear loved one…like she had just received news of a child's death, and it…all of it made him feel helpless…powerless…and once more confused and even more out of control than before.

_How do I fight a battle that I've already lost?_

**Until Next Time…** (Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated)

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Next Chapter: Dastardly Deeds

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**Acknowledgements: **(All others have been sent PM's)

**MBC:** Anger management, maybe…would be helpful? (lol) Seriously, thanks for your review, and I will make sure to talk to Miroku and Inu about ripping Dinshu's face off (lmao)!!

**Nathalee: **So you've figured it out, have you? Nope, I don't really care for Sango too much, so I do tend to torture her a lot...lol. It really sucked though, because I really liked my characterization of her in this fic, and honestly it wasn't until I wrote a few of the later chapters that I went back and made her altercation with Dinshu a little harsher, but I just couldn't make him stick his thingy in her, no matter how much I dislike her uptight character in the anime. Anyway, most cherished one, hold on to your seat because it's going to get really bumpy from here. Thanks for your continued support, my friend.

**Menaii:** Thanks for the wonderful review, my new friend; I hope this chapter was just as enjoyable.

**Jin:** Hey you!! Thanks for the review and your continued support!!


	39. Dastardly Deeds

**A/N:** As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness. A few of you pointed out that Kagome should have told them about Kouga, and to that I say, "Have you ever seen a movie where you know the answer because, well, the writer or director made sure you knew the answer but the character/actor/actress didn't? Well, it's no different here. She, Kagome, has absolutely no reason to think that Kouga is involved in this mess. As far as she knows, he's happily mated…moved on with his life and doesn't have her to think about." On a side note, I really shouldn't even have to tell you guys this, but then again maybe it means that I'm not doing my job as well as I'm being told I am. Also some of you have been asking how many chapters this fic will be, well, I have a few questions for you. Does it really matter? Have I bored you? Do you feel like I've hit the climax of this fic and I am merely dragging the story out? Bottom line, if your answer is 'no' to all of these questions, relax, sit back, and enjoy the ride and if you answered 'yes' to any of those questions, well, I hate to say this, but maybe you should stop reading now. Anyway thanks for all of your wonderful reviews, my friends, and a special thanks-as always-goes out to my beautiful beta, whom I haven't spoken to in a while, Neko. Love ya lots, Wench!!

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**Disclaimer:** I don't claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, Nola, Dr. Aikio, and Dinshu. All others belong to the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi.

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_**Chapter 39:**_

_**Dastardly Deeds**_

The gates of hell themselves opened the moment, the very second that she calmed down enough to tell him why she was so upset.

And even now as she laid with her head in his lap after having cried herself to sleep, he still found what she told him hard to swallow and damn near difficult to digest.

This wasn't possible. The things she said, no one…no one was capable of such atrocities, and yet he knew that based off of what Ginta had told him; it was also quite possible that her ex, that bastard, Kouga could have very well been responsible for it all.

Still, he found that increasingly hard to believe, because being a shitty ass boyfriend was a far cry from being a rapist, wasn't it?

Inuyasha ran his hand down his face in an exasperated manner while soothingly running his other hand up and down her back as he replayed her story for the umpteenth time in his mind.

_Flashback_

_Clutching her to his side as he sat down on the couch in the far corner of his office, the hanyou pulled her to him, silently begging her to calm down. Unfortunately, the more he tried, the more she seemed to cry._

"_Kagome, you have to calm down. You have to tell me what's going on," he whispered softly, pushing away from her so that he could stare down into her flushed face._

_Running his hands across her cheeks to wipe away the ocean of tears that was cascading from her eyes, he tried again, "Please, Kagome, you have to try and calm down so that you can tell me what happened. Did someone hurt you? Did something happen on your way to work?"_

_She didn't answer right away, but her sobbing did slowly decrease to be replaced by sporadic hiccups._

_Pulling her to him again, the hanyou sat back, his arm wrapped around her shoulder. He didn't understand any of this. He didn't understand why it seemed that no matter what he did, fate-the bastard-seemed to be doing its damnedest to make sure that whatever plans he had, with regard to coming to some kind of decision about distancing himself from her never came to fruition._

"_I'm sorry, Inuyasha. I'm so sorry," she started softly with a light sniffle. "I…I tried going home, I tried going to the park, but I couldn't…I couldn't…"_

_Shushing her, he stated soothingly, "Its fine, Wench. I'm glad you came to me, but you have to tell me what's going on."_

_She pushed up off of him and stared at him wide eyed, seconds before she broke down again. "I…I found the hospital, I did. And I drove there. I drove there and I parked and even got out of the car, but I couldn't…I couldn't go inside, Inuyasha. I couldn't make my legs walk inside."_

"_Its okay, its fine," he told her, pulling her back down to him. "What happened? Why were you going to the hospital?"_

_Kagome ran the back of her hand across her nose, and then fisted that same hand in the front of his pressed shirt. She shook her head as if she didn't want to tell him, or rather as if she couldn't put voice to whatever the situation was._

"_Wench, you're going to have to tell me what's going on. Otherwise, I won't be able to help you."_

_She nodded weakly as she began, "They said…they insinuated that it was my fault, Inuyasha. They said-"_

"_Who, Kagome? What are you talking about?"_

"_My boss, Yamaguchi, and the two detectives, they…they basically said that it was my fault. They said that I was the reason that she…" _

_Pulling away from her, Inuyasha shook her lightly and questioned urgently, "Detectives? Kagome, you're not making any sense, what detectives?"_

"_The ones that were waiting at my job for me! They didn't come right out and say that I was responsible, but I know that's what they all thought! I know… I just know that they think that it's my fault that she was attacked! They blame me, Takahashi and I don't understand why!"_

_Inuyasha stared down at her, his face a mask of confusion as she blustered almost incoherently, "I swear I don't know anything about it! I told them…I told them that I didn't know anyone that would do something like this, but they didn't believe me, I know they didn't!"_

_Shaking his head in an attempt to drive off his bewilderment, the hanyou shifted so that he was sitting on the edge of the couch facing her. "Kagome, you have to calm down and tell me everything from the beginning. Who was attacked?"_

_She looked up at him, blinked a few times and hung her head low as she whispered softly, "Sango… Last night, they said that someone…someone assaulted her in the garage."_

_Granted, he'd only met the woman in question twice-once that actually counted- but Inuyasha couldn't stop his heart from speeding up and the surge of anger that roiled through him. _

Someone…attacked…Sango? _Inuyasha thought slowly._

_Rapists in his mind were worst than murderers because they mentally and physically tortured their victims! They stripped women of what little security and dignity they had and they violated the weak and the helpless in the name of being in control. And that in his perception was the lowest of the low._

_No, to him, there was no excuse for rape, none!_

_Running his hand down his face in an attempt to school his features, the hanyou questioned evenly, "Okay, but what does that have to do with you?"_

_Kagome shouted hysterically, "I know!! That's what I told them, but they…but they said that it had everything to do with me because…because the company firewall was hacked a few weeks ago, and my information was the only files tampered with! They said…they said that because some guy showed up yesterday morning looking for me, that it was therefore linked to me!" _

_Inuyasha stared at her, his face set in a deep scowl as pieces of what the wolf demon, Ginta, had said swirled through his mind, _"When he told me to find her… When he started looking for her… That's why I need to speak with Kagome. I…I need to warn her that-"

Shit, _he hissed silently, wishing that he'd listened a little longer to what the youkai had to say before beating the crap out of him. _It could have been him! If it was him, does it mean that that prick told him where she was? Fuck, it has to mean that, _he thought quickly, but he knew that he needed more information from her in order to come to an informed decision._

"_Kagome, what else did the detectives say?" She didn't look like she wanted to comply, so he reiterated firmly, "Tell me everything the detectives said!"_

_She stared at him, tears swimming at the edge of her lower eyelids. "They said that it was a planned attack." Picking at some invisible dirt between one of her fingernails, she continued, "They said that whoever attacked Sango spray painted the camera lens black, and that her tires was flattened purposefully."_

_Even to his civilian ears that sounded like a premeditated attack. _

_All the pieces fit almost too perfectly, but he wasn't really concerned with that part of her story, he wanted to know more about the guy that showed up at her office that morning asking for her. He needed…somewhere deep inside; he needed to know who that guy was._

If I hadn't made her take yesterday off… If I hadn't decided to take her with me to see Totosai… Shit, _he thought heatedly as his fists clenched of their own accord._

_The possibilities were endless, weren't they? And none of said possibilities were anything that he wanted to put voice to or spend even a moment thinking about. _

_Shaking off his despondent thoughts, he said more for his benefit than her own, "So, the detectives said that because your company's firewall was hacked, a stranger showed up looking for you, and Sango was attacked, that this person-"_

_She sniffled and nodded as she blurted desperately, "They said they think he's…they're after me, Takahashi, but it doesn't make sense! No one would want to get to me like that! No one would need to! My family…my friends they wouldn't do something like this!! They wouldn't need too!!"_

No, Kagome someone does want to get to you, but is he that wicked that he'd stoop to such methods to do it? _Shutting his thoughts off for the moment, he sighed heavily and whispered empathetically, "For now, try not to worry about it. I'm sure it's all a massive mistake," as he pulled her to him again and kissed her forehead.  
_

_End Flashback_

He hadn't expected any of this.

Sure, the cowardly wolf, Ginta, had said that he had to protect her, but…but exactly what or rather who was he protecting her from? What kind of monster... What kind of animal was after her?

If he wanted her back, did he seriously believe that by strong arming her assistant, it would make her want to be with him? Not that he would ever allow her to do such a foolish thing. But still, what the hell was this prick-if it was him-trying to accomplish by going to such measures?

Truthfully, after his _talk _with Ginta, he hadn't honestly expected the bastard to show his face, but based on everything he just heard, it really seemed like that's exactly what he'd done.

Maybe if he hadn't talked to Ginta, he would've been a little skeptical as to what was going on, but after hearing the tale of how that prick treated Kagome without her even knowing about it… Well, this whole thing just didn't leave a good taste in his mouth.

"_They told me that because these people…these animals obviously know where I work, that I was on leave until further notice, because my being there places the rest of the employees in danger."_

When she'd said that, he'd thought about asking her if she had any place safe that she could go, but he knew from their previous conversations that other than her family and two or three friends back in Kyoto, she honestly didn't.

"There's no way around it," he avowed quietly as he stared down at her sleeping face. Brushing her hair away from the side of her face, he thought sadly, _Like everything else in my life as of late, I don't have choice, do I? It's up to me…it's all up to me._

He didn't really have a problem with that because he knew that he would never willingly allow her to fall into harm's way, but…

_But…but nothing! I made her a promise, even though she knows nothing about it. Regardless of what internal issues I may have, she's what's important now. Her safety, her happiness, and nothing else! Nothing else will matter until I see to it that this prick is dealt with, _Inuyasha concluded vehemently.

She groaned and rubbed her cheek against his thigh as another thought occurred to him, one that he didn't want to face…to think about, but he knew there was no way around it.

_I have to tell her what I know. I have to tell her that I…I spoke to Ginta. I have to tell her that if there is merit to what these detectives have said, there is a very real possibility that I know who's after her._

A soft buzz drew him out of his reverie.

"Sorry for the interruption, Takahashi-sama, but Mr. Manohon just called; he's on his way up," Nya advised.

Staring at the intercom that was setting on his desk, he laid his hand over Kagome's ear in order to not disturb her, and replied, "Alright, I'll meet him in the conference room in a moment."

Lifting Kagome's head, he scooted out from under her and laid her head back down on one of the arm pillows. Grabbing the throw cover that his mother had knitted for him years ago off the back of the couch, Inuyasha laid it over her as she sighed and snuggled deeper into the cushions searching for his warmth, he was sure.

After taking a moment to straighten his attire, the hanyou smiled ruefully down at her and turned, heading for the door.

"Nya, I want you to contact Yamaguchi Takeda and find out everything you can about the incident that happened in his building last night," he directed as he softly closed his office door behind him. "If he gives you any problems, let him know that this request came directly from me with regard to Higurashi Kagome and that I will not stand for anything less than full disclosure, understand?"

"Of course, Takahashi-sama," Nya replied quizzically. "What would you like me to do about her?" she finished, pointing to his closed office door.

"I don't want you to do anything about her. She's sleeping right now, but if she should try to leave, I want you to come and get me immediately."

Inuyasha knew Nya was wondering what the hell was going on, but fortunately this didn't concern her, and he was going to keep it that way.

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

Staring at the television, Kouga's scowl grew darker with every vowel and syllable that dropped from the anchor woman's lips.

"_This is the only documented attack at Hiro Towers since its doors opened eight years ago. It appears to have been an attempted assault on one of the Paralegals that works in the building. However, for her and her families' safety her name is being withheld. The Police are also withholding the name of the hospital that she was transported to after the attack, but have advised us that this deed was carried out by a Youkai."_

Kouga stared at the television, his iridescent blue eyes unblinking, his breathing heavy almost labored. He couldn't believe what he was seeing or what he was hearing.

_How could anyone be so fucking stupid?_

He'd told Dinshu to handle the lying tramp! What part of that meant leave her alive?

_What the hell was he thinking?_

"_The head detective on the case, a Detective Shu, released a statement saying that they will stop at nothing to catch the culprit or culprits responsible for orchestrating this well planned out assault on such a helpless woman. They are also requesting that anyone who was within the vicinity last night between the hours of 4pm and 7pm who may have seen anything out of the ordinary call the information hotline."_

Kouga threw the remote he was clutching in his hand against the far wall, causing it to split in more than a few pieces.

"Dinshu!!" he shouted, his ire spiking violently. _That lying son of a bitch! I asked him if he handled it! I…I fucking asked him!_

Why was it that no one, besides him, was capable of getting a job done without drawing unneeded attention to themselves? How fucking hard was it to get rid of one lying bitch? How goddamn pathetic were these bastards he was surrounded by?

The second Dinshu stepped through the doorway, Kouga turned on him. Grabbing him by the collar forcefully, he slammed him back against the wall nearly choking the life out of him.

"I asked you if you handled her last night, didn't I?" Kouga bit out angrily, his luminous blue eyes boring dangerous holes into Din's own.

"I told you… I told you I handled it, Boss!"

Pulling his arm back swiftly, Kouga punched him dead on the nose and asked, "What's your definition of _handle_, you pathetic fuck?" Not waiting for the demon to explain or even attempt to answer, he pulled him away from the wall and slammed him back against it hard enough to cause his head to bounce a few times.

"That fucking bitch is alive, you fucking idiot! How the hell could you leave her alive?" he bellowed, releasing the demon and stomping away. "I swear I'm surrounded by fucking morons!"

Straightening out the front of his shirt, Dinshu, offered, "I got interrupted. I…I didn't mean to leave her…"

"You idiot, she saw your goddamn face!"

"I know, but-" Din tried to defend, his trademark grin in place.

"But, shit! You don't think she's going to describe you to the police? You don't think she's going to tell them every goddamn detail she can fucking remember; starting with that fucked up grin on your face!" Kouga shouted rounding on him.

"Boss, I can fix this! I…I just wasn't thinking is all!"

Glaring at the demon before him, Kouga's mental fortitude broke, cracked and began to crumbling around him.

"You never fucking think, Din!"

This wasn't happening! He hadn't come this close to finding Kagome to have to hightail it back to Kyoto empty handed! He was not, absolutely fucking _not_ going to return to Kyoto empty handed!

_Hell no!!_

Picking up the chair from the small table in the corner, he charged at Dinshu, breaking it across his chest! As the demon fell to the floor covering his head and neck, Kouga commenced to kicking the living shit out of him while growling viciously, "I came here for fucking Kagome, you son of a bitch! I didn't come here to go to fucking jail, and definitely not because of your fucking stupidity!"

He was so angry, so pissed, so…so annoyed with everything and everyone that he found it hard to see pass his rage.

Stumbling back, Kouga turned, his eyes flashing red as he reached for his gun. "Get the fuck up! Get the hell up!" he ordered heatedly, pointing the barrel at Dinshu's head.

Everything in him screamed for him to pull the trigger and blow his damn brains out! Everything in him told him that this prick hadn't done anything, but made getting to Kagome that much freaking harder and if for that reason alone, he deserved to die!

_Pathetic piece of shit, _Kouga thought as his forefinger twitched spasmodically over the trigger!

"Boss, what the hell? I made a mistake! I can fix this, I promise, I can fix this!" Dinshu pleaded holding his hands up as if he was giving in.

Kouga stopped and stared at the youkai…his friend…his crony that he'd known just about as long as he'd known Hakkaku and Ginta, but he didn't care…nothing mattered to him with the exception of how fucking close he was to losing Kagome again.

He was sick of incompetence! Tired of everybody telling him that he didn't need Kagome; that he only wanted her because somewhere in the back of his mind he knew…he thought, he couldn't have her…couldn't get her back!

He was tired…damned tired of playing the doting husband to a woman he was barely able to stomach-through no fault of her own. Ayame, she was a damn good woman, but she was nothing more than a runner up! She was his mate… Truthfully, she wasn't his mate! His youkai hadn't chosen her! She was his fucking wife by default and nothing more!

Kouga was tired and irritated that nothing…fucking nothing came easy to him, and these morons…these fucking idiots that he surrounded himself with seemed to be either consciously or subconsciously thwarting him at every fucking turn!

"Kouga, please! Man…come on… Don't…don't fucking do this!" Dinshu begged urgently as he inched slowly up so that he was in a seated position.

Glaring down at him, Kouga slowly lowered the barrel of his gun as his breathing began to calm down and his vision began to slowly clear.

Turning around in a tight circle a few times, his hand clutching at his temples, he hissed, "Her license is in my coat pocket. Find her, kill her, and then take your stupid fucking ass back to Kyoto. And if you don't kill her, Dinshu, you better hope to the gods that she kills you because you're not going to like what I do to you."

Kouga glared at Dinshu as he pulled himself up off the floor and shuffled quickly out of the room. Growling violently, he turned away from the door and pulled his cell phone from the pocket of the robe he was wearing. Flipping it open, he stated, "Hakkaku," knowing that the voice dial would connect him.

The phone picked up on the second ring and he ordered without waiting for a greeting, "Oi, I need you in Tokyo."

"Yeah, well my brother, _whom you shot_, needs me a little more."

"I just gave you a fucking order!"

"Yeah, I know, and had you given me that order before you shot my fucking brother, I would've listened," Hakkaku bit out, before the phone went dead in Kouga's ear.

Glaring at the cell phone screen that read 'Call Lost', Kouga growled violently as his grip on the phone tightened so much that the plastic outer shell started to crack.

_Has everyone lost their fucking minds? I'm the fucking boss! I'm the fucking boss, damn it! And he's going to tell me, no?_

He was coming loose! He could feel it, from the inside out; he was coming undone! His world, the order, the power he'd worked so hard for was slipping away!

"Damn it to hell!" he hissed standing to his feet and stomping towards the window.

No, this shit wasn't going to work, he needed to get to Kagome, he needed to get her back with him, and then…and then all would go back to the way it was. Then and only then would he go back to Kyoto and deal with the mutinous bastards he called friends and lackeys!

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

"You know you're going to have to go and see her, right?"

"Yeah, I know, but…"

Reaching across the table, Inuyasha grasped her hand and stated reassuringly, "What happened to her was not your fault, Kagome. You didn't ask for this to happen, and I'm sure Sango is more than aware of that."

Squeezing his hand, Kagome tried to force a smile, but she just couldn't find it in her, not at the moment. "I know, Takahashi. But what if the detectives are right? What if she got into this mess because of something she did trying to protect me?"

Inuyasha stared at her, a rueful smile on his face. After his meeting, he'd taken a call from Yamaguchi Takeda, her boss, who informed him that they had found fingerprints in her office that were not hers nor Sango's, which were the only two people who had official access to her office.

He'd also told him that in questioning the cleaning crew, they found out that there was a youkai that had shown up at her office during the time that Sango was in the garage being attacked. He was claiming to be her boyfriend there to pick-up some documents that Kagome supposedly left. Yamaguchi had gone on to state that said youkai had used Sango's badge to gain access to the elevator and the floor.

After Inuyasha confirmed with the man that Kagome did not have a boyfriend nor had she left any documents behind, the hanyou had questioned whether the police were able to find a match in their system for the fingerprints, and if Sango's card was retrieved.

"_They were not so lucky, I'm sorry," _the man had said which only served to solidify the hanyou's speculations even more.

Inuyasha then asked him for the location and room number of the hospital that Sango was being kept in and had Nya send her three bouquets of Tulips with a card from Kagome.

The hanyou was sure that Yamaguchi was more than a little concerned as to why he was so interested in this incident, but he hadn't asked any questions and for that he was thankful.

In the end, he'd told the man to keep their conversation between them and to please keep him abreast to any changes that occurred without letting the police know that he was interested.

He figured that the only reason Yamaguchi was so willing to give him the information he sought was because of who he was and his stature in Asia, which every once in a while did come in handy.

Glancing down at Ashton, whom they had picked up upon leaving his office, Inuyasha then glanced around at the open sitting area and the people…the couples that seemed to be just enjoying their own existences.

He couldn't help but to wonder how some people were dealt the hands they were. He was sure that when Kagome had first started dating that Kouga freak, she never once thought that he'd break her heart the way he did. Hell, when he'd first met Kikyo, marriage and betrayal were the last things on his mind, but that was exactly what he got.

How fair was it that some people were just dealt easy hands to live. Whereas, others had to scrape and scrimp for what little they had? For instance, he and his family had enough money and prestige that if he decided an hour from now that he was going to stop working and adopt 300 families, he and those families could live more than comfortably for the rest of their lives.

Yet, when it came to affairs of the heart, he was just as poor and broken as a vagrant begging for money on the street corner. While some of those same people that he would deem as poor, were so rich in love that no amount of money could measure up to it.

Shaking off his wayward thoughts, that honestly weren't making much sense to him, Takahashi sighed lightly and turned his attention to Kagome who was sitting across from him, staring down at her plate without seeing it.

She looked so lost, so destroyed that all he wanted to do was reach out and pull her to him. He wanted to make the world right again for her, if only for while, but he knew that this was not something that could be easily masked or fixed.

Her past-even though she didn't know it-had come back full circle. Her friend, her confidant, had been hurt and violated in the worst way and it seemed like it really was because of her, though he would be the last one to tell her that.

No, this was not something that he'd be able to just cover up and make go away. Instead, he knew, he'd have to stand beside her…with her and face this head on. After all, that is what friends do, right?

Ashton's soft growling drew him out of his thoughts and he reached down, petting the pup between his ears as he quickly glanced around the area looking for whatever it was that had caught the dogs attention.

"What's up, mutt?" Inuyasha questioned as he quickly glanced around in the direction that Ashton was barking. He didn't really notice anything out of the ordinary, but his eyes did fall on that of a man…a youkai with a stupid grin on his face sitting at the far corner of the patio, away from them, looking at a menu.

_He wasn't there before, _the hanyou thought idly, but brushed it off as he tightened his hold on Ashton's leash since the dog was pulling strongly against it. Staring down at the pup, and then up at the guy again, Inuyasha mumbled, "What's your problem, runt?"

"Inuyasha?" Kagome questioned softly. "Why are you doing all this? You don't have to, you know?"

Turning his attention back to his companion, Inuyasha queried, "What are you talking about?"

"I mean… You're always there for me. Even before we-" She couldn't stop the blush that spread prettily over her cheeks. "You've just always been there for me. I can't really list everything that you've done for me that you didn't have to, but it's like… I don't know…"

"We're friends, right?"

She looked down, then back up at him and smiled sincerely. "Yeah, we are, aren't we?"

"Well then, there doesn't have to be a reason, right?" he questioned quietly.

Using her chop sticks to cut one of the two rice balls on her plate in half, Kagome declared softly, "Thank you, Inuyasha, for everything."

"Please, wench. You're going a little too far with all this mushy stuff now. Besides, you pay me back nicely, don't you think?"

With a slightly brow marring frown, she asked, "What? How?"

Leaning across the table, he grinned mischievously as his hand loosened unknowingly around the leash. "Why, with that sweet ass you give me, of course."

Kagome smiled for real for the first time that day, even though she couldn't stop an embarrassing blush from staining her cheeks. At that same moment, Ashton's barking took on a vicious snarl as he charged across the open patio.

Kagome jumped to her feet. "Ashton, no!!" she yelled as she watched him pounce on a man's pant leg. His small canines latched into the material of the gentleman's pants.

"Shit, I'll get him! You stay here," Inuyasha told her as he quickly made it over to the guy who was reaching down trying desperately to pull the dog off of him.

"Damn man, I'm really sorry about this. He doesn't normally act like such a bastard," Inuyasha advised the gentleman quickly as he reached down and thumped the pup on his nose in order to make him release the guy's pant leg.

The stranger eyed him curiously, before he shrugged his shoulder uncaringly and broke into a cheeky grin. "Think nothing of it. Dogs just seem to dislike me for some reason."

Something about the guy didn't seem right to him either, but Inuyasha wasn't about to waste anymore time thinking about it. He needed to get Ashton and Kagome the hell out of there before the owner came and threw them out. Gripping the dog's leash, he dragged him behind him as he threw over his shoulder, "Again, sorry about that."

Kagome ran towards them. Kneeling down, she picked up the pup that was actually getting a little too big to be picked up and kissed him on the nose. "You're such a bad dog, no treats for you tonight."

Glancing at the guy, she smiled politely and nodded her head apologetically. Narrowing her eyes just a little, she thought absently, _He looks familiar, _but quickly brushed that off as she turned her attention back to her puppy.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Inuyasha told her, handing her the leash. Stepping over to the table, he dropped a fifty on it and made his way quickly back over to where Kagome was standing.

Glancing over at the table where Ashton had just tried to maim the youkai, Inuyasha stopped short. There was no one there. The menu was still there and a tall glass of water, but there was no one, absolutely no one there.

Narrowing his eyes, Inuyasha glanced around the patio again. _What the hell? That fucker was right there, _he thought quickly.

Turning back around, he watched as the pup that Kagome had sat back down on the floor pulled her towards the exit.

Starting towards the door, Inuyasha couldn't stop the pieces from falling into place. He knew Ashton well enough to know that the dog was not at all a vicious animal, so for him to actually attack someone…

_He had to have known him or his scent, but how? Kagome hasn't taken him anywhere that I know of where she had an altercation with anyone. Is it possible that that bastard… No, that's too much of a coincidence, but still what else would explain Ashton's reaction, _he thought quickly as he stepped through the door and onto the sidewalk.

Gazing rapidly up and down the sidewalk and not seeing anyone that seemed suspicious, Inuyasha stepped over to Kagome who was waiting patiently while Ashton pissed on the trunk of a street tree.

Slipping his arms around her waist, he pulled her back to him and glanced around the area again, feeling eyes on him, but unable to locate exactly where the owner of said eyes was.

_This isn't a fucking coincidence. It can't be, not this time! Fuck!_

"You know if you don't stop being so affectionate with me, I'm going to start to think that you're developing feelings for me," Kagome teased softly as she stepped to the side and slipped her arm around his waist.

Glancing down at her, Inuyasha reached over and took Ashton's leash out of her hand as they started down the sidewalk and back to his car, his free arm draped around her shoulder. "Don't think about it too much, you might hurt yourself."

Kagome giggled and leaned into him just thankful that for at least a little while it seemed that things hadn't really changed at all.

Peering around them as his ears swiveled back and forth secretly searching for any footsteps that may be following them, Inuyasha did his best to pretend as if nothing unusual was taking place.

Sango's attack, the fingerprints in Kagome's office, Ashton's reaction to that guy; all of this had to have something to do with Kouga, because coincidences like this just didn't happen; it didn't!

Stopping at his car, he quickly reached into his pocket for his keys and unlocked the door so that Kagome and Ashton could get in. After making his way around to the driver's side, he spared a moment to check his surrounding once more, before swiftly climbing into the car and cranked the ignition.

"So your place or mine, or would you rather go to see Sango now?" he questioned, knowing that he needed to talk to her about Ginta.

Turning her gaze away from the people standing on the sidewalk, she replied sadly, "I'm not ready to see her tonight, Inuyasha." Looking at him with hopeful eyes she continued, "Would it be okay if we just went tomorrow morning?"

_We, _he thought since he really hadn't planned on going with her, but he quickly pushed that thought aside as he stopped at a red light. Glancing in his rearview mirror, he watched as a black nondescript car with smoked out tinted windows pulled out from in front of the sushi stand they'd just left.

_Definitely, not a coincidence, _he surmised as he stared at the car.

"So then, your place or mine?" he questioned again, trying to keep things as normal as possible between them.

She was quiet for a moment as if she wasn't going to answer him or as if she was cogitating over something.

"Inuyasha, do you think that this is okay? I mean, we have been spending a lot of time together lately, haven't we?"

"What are you saying, Higurashi?"

Glancing over at him, she tried to clarify, "I'm just saying that, I know that we've kind of moved on from being just friends to _special friends_, but-"

"Special…friends?" Inuyasha quipped with a chuckle.

"Well, yeah, baka. It's not like I sleep with all of my friends!" Kagome retorted quickly. "I'm just saying-"

"I know what you're saying, wench, and I'm fine with it, if you are," he responded while eyeing the black car that was still a few vehicles behind him, but yet making every turn that he made.

Kagome stared at him with a small smile on her face. "I guess, I'll figure out whether I'm going to go to Kyoto for a while tomorrow, but for tonight, I think…I guess I wouldn't mind staying at your place if that's alright with you."

Whipping the car around so that he did a tight u-turn in the middle of the street, Inuyasha gunned his engine and sped pass the black car that he was sure was following them. Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as he passed the car in question.

His golden gaze locked on that of the driver, the guy that Ashton had almost bit. The demon gawked at him, or was it passed him, with a stupid ass-backward grin on his face.

_Definitely not a fucking coincidence, _the hanyou hissed as he floored the gas pedal, ran through two red lights, and veered onto the highway.

Inuyasha couldn't shake the feeling that gripped him, causing his spine to stiffen, and a low growl to rise in the back of his throat.

_They're really after her!_

Glancing over at Kagome who was sitting back, her nails digging into the leather seats, Inuyasha began to slow down just a little as he reached over and grabbed her hand. Interlacing his fingers with hers, he declared softly to himself, _I promise Kagome, I will protect you from them._

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

Dinshu grinned into his side mirror as he watched the big body, black BMW whiz down the street in the opposite direction and disappear from sight.

When he'd stopped to grab a bite to eat on his way to find the tramp from the night before, he hadn't expected to come face to face with the woman that Kouga was losing his proverbial mind over, but he was elated just the same.

At first, he'd thought about phoning Kouga and letting him know who he'd run into, but quickly decided that since it seemed that his asshole of a boss thought he was so fucking inept, he'd hand deliver her to him, but only after he had a little fun of his own.

What he hadn't expected was that the mutt that had barked and yelped like crazy when he'd found her apartment, which he hadn't told Kouga about, would remember his scent. And he figured that, that was alright too, because it didn't seem at first that the half breed that she was with caught onto exactly why the dog was behaving the way he was.

_And they think I'm stupid!_

Of course, when he'd been given the address with no unit number and ordered to find out who lived there, he'd felt as if he was being sent on a wild goose chase. However, when he'd finally stepped onto what turned out to be her floor and he smelled her scent, he knew…just knew that he'd hit the jackpot.

Dinshu hadn't actually made it into the apartment because her neighbors called building security to check on the damn barking dog, but that was okay too. He'd located her, and that on its own was worth its weight in gold.

_They all think I'm some kind of idiot,_ he thought with a grin as he whipped his rental around and headed in the same direction that he'd seen the BMW go in.

_But I'll show them, I'll show them all. I'll kill that tramp bitch from the other night, and I'll be the one that brings Kagome to Kouga! Then, they'll see… He'll see that I'm more fucking dependable and trustworthy than all of those other bastards put together._

Veering onto the highway that he was sure the hanyou had entered, he gunned his engine and closely eyed the cars that he came up on and passed in order not to pass the one holding the prize...Kouga's prize, but his treat.

**Until Next Time**… (Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated!!)

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**Next Chapter**: Heart to Heart

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_**Acknowledgements:**_ (All others have been sent PM's)

**Lynzi18: **Why did you tear up in the last chapter? There was nothing emotional there, I don't think. Maybe you're just emotional…lol. Thanks for your review, my friend, and thanks for reading and enjoying!!

**Menaii:** How many times have you actually gone back and re-read the other chapters? Which one was your favorite? Kidding, I don't really want to know, I'm just glad you're still reading and enjoying my labor of love. Thanks for your review!!

**Jin: **In answer to your question, no, Kouga would not have been there, but then again you already know that don't you? (lol) Thanks for your review, my friend.

**MBC:** Masochistic, much? (lol) You sure are wondering a lot, but don't you worry, you will have all of your answers before the end of this fic, I promise!! Thanks again for your continued support!!


	40. Heart to Heart

**A/N:** As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness. **Lemon Warning!! **It's three in the morning and I'm wide awake so I figured I mightiest well go ahead and update, since the Thanksgiving madness will start tomorrow and I won't have time to update any other time this week. Yep, I'm going to have a whole house full for the holiday, but I'm not doing any cooking, my mom, who arrived today, is going to be taking care of that. Anyway guys, I want you all to have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving and please enjoy this chapter because I thoroughly enjoyed writing it….lol. Thanks for all of your wonderful reviews, and a very special thanks goes out to my spectacular beta, Neko.

**HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! **I absolutely adore turkey day!!!

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**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, Nola, Dr. Aikio, and Dinshu.

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_**Chapter 40:**_

_**Heart to Heart**_

"Yeah? Well, I'm sure it isn't that bad."

"It is, I swear! And Sesshomaru isn't any better, you know? When the damn doctors don't have my legs spread-eagled or are poking and prodding my belly, he's asking me every five seconds if I'm alright or if I need something!" She growled in order to show her irritation and continued, "I want to tell him to just go home, but he'd probably just give me that infamous glare of his and ignore me."

"You can't fault him for being concerned, Rin. After all, you are about to give birth to two hellions, aren't you?"

She was quiet for a while before she spoke again. "Why can't you be here with me? I bet if you were here, he wouldn't be acting half as bad as he is."

Inuyasha sighed as he leaned back on the couch, his feet propped up on the coffee table. "I wish I could be there, but there's something I need to take care of tonight. However, I promise you, I'll be there first thing in the morning."

Glancing at the clock on the entertainment center that read 2:37 in the morning, he ran his fingers through his tangled hair lethargically, and shifted so that he was cradling the phone between the side of his head and his shoulder.

After he and Kagome had stopped by her place to pick up a few of her things for the night, they'd made it to his house in record time. They'd shared some small talk as they relaxed on the couch watching television, but mostly there was silence between them-to know fault of her own of course.

He had been preoccupied the entire night with every little sound that flitted to his ears from outside the door and windows. Sure, he knew that no one could gain access to his floor without the aid of building security or his pass, but that didn't stop him from being on guard. This would explain why at this hour of morning he was sitting up in the living room talking to his brother's mate, while his friend, his companion was sound asleep in his bedroom with her dog.

In addition to being preoccupied with keeping her safe, Inuyasha had also tried more than a few times during the night to broach the topic of his fight with Ginta. Unfortunately, every time he came close to saying something, his mouth would go dry and his tongue felt like it had swollen to the size of a rotten codfish.

He knew he needed to tell her…to talk to her, but he knew that it would hurt her to hear the things that he'd heard. He also knew that in the end, even though telling her would serve to alleviate the guilt that he was feeling by keeping this from her, and make the things that were happening around her make more sense, it would still probably crush her heart.

At first, he'd tried going to bed with her, but all he was basically doing was tossing and turning, which in return was keeping her awake even though she didn't say anything about it. He'd contemplated having her help him get rid of some of his frustration, but quickly decided against that, because he didn't want her thinking that every time they saw each other, or spent the night together that they had to have sex.

In the end, he'd crawled out of bed, picked up his cell phone on the way out the bedroom, and dialed Rin's number hoping that she was awake. Of course, he didn't normally call her this late at night, but he figured that under the circumstances, it was worth a try.

"Rin, where's the asshole?"

"He went to get some coffee and something to snack on from down in the cafeteria."

"How long has he been gone?" Inuyasha questioned, creating small talk since he couldn't make himself bring up the real reason why he'd called her in the first place.

"Not-"

He heard her hiss in pain and start breathing quickly in bursts of air and he sat up anxiously. "Are you okay?"

After a few more breaths, she replied breathlessly, "Yeah, it was just another contraction, but I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, and if you ask me that again, I'm going to bar you from this hospital after I hang-up on you," she snapped, her voice holding just enough censure to let him know that she wasn't kidding.

Relaxing back into his previous position, Inuyasha glanced around the darkened room and sighed lightly. There really was no reason to keep beating around the bush about this, was there? If he asked her, what could she really say? It's not like she would know whom he was talking about or what the situation was.

As if reading his mind, Rin questioned softly, "Lover, are you okay? It almost seems as if you have something on your mind."

"Yeah…yeah, I'm fine," he lied, then corrected quickly, "No, actually, I'm not. I…I need to get your opinion about something."

Unlike most, he'd never really had a problem talking to Rin about anything, regardless of how asinine he may have thought it was. She always listened, always gave him her honest opinion, and never ever chastised him when he didn't adhere to hers.

"Well, I have nothing but time since it seems that these two really don't feel like meeting me or their father anytime soon, so what's on your mind?"

Inuyasha stood to his feet as he ran his fingers exasperatedly through his hair again. Stepping over to the sliding glass doors that led out to the balcony, he pulled them open, and stepped out as he stated softly, the cool night air tickling the skin of his bare chest, "Well, I have a hypothetical situation for you and I want you to give me your honest opinion, okay?"

"Alright, I'll try."

Shuffling over to the railing, he stared down at the quiet city below as he began, "Say someone that you considered a special kind of friend knew something about you and your past, but they didn't tell you. Would you be mad? Would you feel like they kept something from you?"

Rin seemed to cogitate over that for a while before she spoke, "Well, if it was something trivial, then I would be glad that they didn't tell me. However, if it was something that could possibly hurt me, I'd probably not consider that person a friend to begin with and I would more than likely end the friendship."

Inuyasha internalized that for a moment. _End the friendship, _he thought; unable to explain why just the thought was enough to make his blood pressure rise.

Pushing that feeling to the back of his mind, he added, "What if the secret that _this friend_ was keeping was something that would undoubtedly make the other person hurt even more than s/he already was? What if _this friend _thought that by keeping this secret, s/he was protecting the other person?"

"Is your brother cheating on me?" Rin questioned quickly without a hint of playfulness in her tone.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and quipped, "Please, if he ever did something like that I'd castrate his fucking ass."

"Oh, I was just wondering, because for a moment there-"

Cutting her off, the hanyou retorted mildly, "I told you this was hypothetical, didn't I?"

Rin was quiet as if she had to force her mind back to the topic at hand. "This sounds like a nasty little secret, Lover."

Sitting down in one of his patio chairs, he affirmed quietly, "Hypothetically, it is." He knew that he could've probably told Rin the entire story and she'd be able to truly advise him without pointing fingers or playing the blame game, but this wasn't her problem and he wanted to keep it that way.

"So, by keeping this secret, one friend believes that s/he is protecting the other from being emotionally hurt?" Rin queried evenly, making sure that she understood the situation correctly.

"Yeah, it's something like that."

"Personally, I think that everyone has a right to know what is or is not being said about them, but if _this friend _truly believes that by knowing this secret it would cause the other person unnecessary pain, and if not knowing will not have any irreconcilable effects, then I don't really see a reason why _this friend _should say something to the other friend."

"So, s/he shouldn't say anything?"

"No, I didn't say that. I said s/he shouldn't say anything if _not _knowing will not have any irreconcilable effects," Rin reiterated softly. "I think what _this friend _needs to do is weigh his/hers options, because sometimes a secret even when kept for the right reasons can cause distrust where there was previously none. It can cause a person to begin to doubt another's intentions when had the secret been told to begin with, there would have been no doubts."

The hanyou couldn't say with total certainty that he understood everything that Rin had just said, but the part about distrust and doubts hit a little too close to home for his liking.

This thing…this relationship…this friendship that he and Kagome shared was for the most part, distrust free. She didn't doubt him when he said something and he didn't doubt her.

No, he didn't want to cause any problems where there were none, but how could he open his mouth and let the words that he knew would decimate her soul flow freely? How could he deliberately wound her, when he promised her that he would never willingly hurt her?

Sure, talking to Rin helped, but he knew that in the end, what he decided to do would have to be his decision and his alone. And when he made that choice, it was going to have to be something that he could live with, regardless of the outcome.

Pushing his thoughts away, he declared sincerely, "Thanks for the advice, Rin. I'll make sure I let my friend know what you said."

Rin giggled and replied, "Lover, now we all know that you don't have any friends." Before he could intervene, she added quickly, "You do know that it is quite possible to tell the secret and protect this friend of yours, right?"

Inuyasha groaned lightly as he stood up and walked back into the living room. He should've known that she'd only let him go so far with his farce of a hypothetical situation before she called him on it. Settling back on the couch, his ears swiveled to the right and the left as he caught the sound of movement coming from the bedroom.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he responded evenly, though he wore a grin on his face.

"Whatever," she quipped dismissively.

He could hear the smile in her voice as he glanced up and watched Kagome step out of the darkness of the hallway and stop short, almost as if she thought she was interrupting something.

"Whatever yourself, Prego," he taunted as Kagome shot him a look that was caught between confusion and annoyance.

Staring at her, he slowly took her in. Her mussed hair, the sleep that was still evident in her eyes, the way the old college t-shirt she slept in barely covered her hips. She was beautiful, gorgeous actually, and that was something that he knew he would never be able to deny, nor would he want to.

She turned to leave, a deep frown on her face, but he called out softly, "Come here."

He'd forgotten about Rin until she spoke up again, "Who are you talking to? You know I can't go anywhere."

Chuckling, he replied, "Not you, Wench."

He watched Kagome stop and stare at him quizzically as if she didn't understand what was going on.

"Then who are you talking to, Inuyasha?" Rin questioned.

"Come here," he stated again, holding his hand out to Kagome. She stared at him as if she was a dog, confused by the order her master had just given.

"What did I tell you about being so nosey?" he questioned into the phone.

"Well if you would stop trying to keep _secrets _I wouldn't have to be nosey, now would I?" Rin snapped teasingly. "Now stop trying to change the subject, who were you talking to?"

The hanyou watched as Kagome slowly inched her way towards him as if she was waiting for him to tell her to go away or something. Reaching out, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his lap as he situated himself back on the couch.

"A friend," he replied while leaning forward, and placing a light kiss on the side of her neck, which must have helped her to relax, because she leaned back towards him. Encircling her waist with one arm, he pulled her back so that her shoulder was resting against his own.

"A friend? I already told you, Lover, you don't have any friends."

Inhaling Kagome's saccharine scent, Inuyasha responded, "Oh, I think I might have one friend. You want to talk to her?"

Kagome sat up quickly and stared down at him, her eyes screaming, no.

"I'm so jealous!" Rin shouted, causing him to move the phone away from the side of his head.

"Well, you've got a whole husband, I'm sure you knew I would have to eventually get a friend or two."

"Inuyasha, what's going on?" Kagome questioned, finding it hard to stay quiet any longer.

"But she's there with you when you should be here with me! That's not fair!" Rin whined.

"I already told you, I'm coming to see you in the morning, didn't I?"

"Inuyasha…" Kagome warned, pushing further away from him.

"Put her on the phone, I want to find out who this hussy is that has my lover staying away from me when I need him most," Rin snapped, trying to truly sound annoyed.

Chuckling, he countered quickly, "This stays between us, okay?"

"Dog-boy!" Kagome snapped, hating the fact that she was being ignored.

"Who would I tell," Rin questioned sheepishly.

"Oh, I don't know… Let me think…maybe your _mate_."

Kagome stood up and started to storm off, but stopped and turned back to him, her hands on her hips. "Inuyasha, who the hell are you talking to at this ungodly hour?" she queried, her tone holding every ounce of irritation she was feeling.

"Okay, I promise. Besides, it seems as if you're about to get your butt kicked," Rin acknowledged with a giggle after having heard the woman's outburst.

"Yeah, she's nuts. I'm just glad that I have a witness now," he retorted. "Hold on."

Staring at the pissed off woman, who appeared to have smoke coming from her ears, Inuyasha held the phone out for her to take and said, "She wants to talk to you."

"Who?" Kagome bit out angrily.

Shrugging his shoulders, he replied, "Just take it, and don't believe anything she says. I haven't been sleeping with her, I promise."

Slapping his hand away, she hissed, "What? I know you didn't leave me in bed to come out here and have phone sex with one of your skanky ass whores!"

He almost laughed, but was able to stave it off as he stood to his feet. Reaching for her hand, he closed her fingers around the device and reiterated, "She wants to talk to you," as he turned and headed towards the bedroom.

Inuyasha had already made it down the long hallway and into the bedroom before he heard her say, _"Hello,"_ and at that moment, he wanted to burst out laughing because when she found out that she'd acted like a total baka over Rin, she'd feel like an ass, and when Rin found out that his friend was Higurashi Kagome, she'd damn near lose her mind.

Patting Ashton on the back of his rump, Inuyasha made the dog move over from his side of the bed and climbed in. At the end of his and Rin's conversation it was all laughs and jokes, but he still needed to figure out what he was going to do.

Ashton shifted and turned so that his head was in the hanyou's lap. Raking his claws lazily through the pup's fur, he continued to weigh his options.

He knew that this decision that he needed to make really wasn't that difficult. Either, he told her or he didn't. The hard part was how much to tell her and the repercussions of telling her, or not telling her?

_Okay, Inuyasha, what's the worst that would happen if you told her everything that Ginta told you, including the parts about how that prick set up his wife to walk in on them in bed, and the whole passing her around to his friends thing? What's the worst that could happen?_

Seriously, he didn't even want to think about that, because she…Kagome had one of the worst tempers he'd ever been privy to witnessing.

He figured her initial reaction would be that he'd used or rather took advantage of her because he knew what she'd already been through. Then she'd break just about every fucking thing she got her hands on by throwing them at him. She'd then curse him every name in the book, and then take her overnight bag, Ashton, and storm out.

Once she got home, she'd cry herself to sleep then wake up the next day and do it all over again. All the while, internalizing what he told her. She'd damn near manifest a way to blame herself for not seeing it, for not knowing the difference between the man she thought she loved and his friend.

Behind this…behind what he told her, she'd probably become depressed, withdrawn, and angry.

_Like she was when I met her. She was so cold, so angry...so untouchable. I could tell even back then that she was hurt because she wore it like a badge of honor; she wore it as if she'd earned it, when she hadn't. All of the walls that she had surrounding her…protecting her, I've torn through those, even though it was not my intention, I tore through them. If I tell her…if I tell her, I'll be right back where I started from. I'll…I'll have to pray for another chance with her._

He couldn't explain why the thought of starting over with her was even an option or why just the knowledge of her pushing him away was enough to make his head hurt and his stomach twist into a tight knot. After all, hadn't he-not even 18 hours ago-been trying to come up with some way of putting distance between them?

Hadn't he been telling himself that he needed to stop what was happening between them? Hadn't he basically told himself that being with her one-on-one, monogamously, was not something that he wanted?

Yes, he told himself all of that, and for a moment there he'd actually started to believe it. But now…now that he had the perfect solution to his problem, why was it that he found it so hard to put into play?

_Because if I tell her; it's going to hurt her, and that's something that I don't want to do. Not only that, but if I tell her…if I tell her everything, how would I be able to protect her from these bastards, when she'll basically want nothing to do with me, _he pondered dejectedly.

The hanyou felt as if he was going around in circles. Every answer led to one thing, which automatically led to another, which then led to another, and always ended at something that he just didn't want to happen; her being hurt, or her forcing him out of her life permanently.

_But I want that, don't I? _He quickly answered that line of thought, _No, I don't want that. I just…I just want us to be together, but on my terms._

He knew that was an immature thought, but it was the truth regardless of how selfish and self-centered it was. If they were _special friends _on his terms then he'd be better able to control his feelings, he'd be able to put a stop to the feelings that he knew he was developing for her, and in return possibly stop her from falling for him.

_Is it so bad, really? _Inuyasha thought, stroking Ashton's fur soothingly. _If I just follow my own advice and go with the flow. Is it so bad to actually allow myself to fall for her…to really be with her?_

Shaking his thoughts off as he heard her end her call with Rin, Inuyasha directed his attention towards the door.

"How could you do that to me?" Kagome shouted, stepping into the doorway, her hands gripping her hips.

"Do what? You wanted to know who I was talking to, didn't you?" the hanyou replied with a cheeky grin.

"Oh, you think you're so smart, don't you?" She questioned, not really expecting an answer as she stomped over to her side of the bed. Tossing his cell phone at him, she continued, "What the hell were you hoping to accomplish, Takahashi? How the hell was I supposed to explain to her why I was over here at 3 in the morning?"

"Feh, I just wanted a witness to how goddamn nuts you are," he retorted as he watched her pound her fist into her pillow seconds before she laid down on her back, her arms crossed over her chest.

He couldn't stop the smile that formed over his lips as he watched her silently curse him for putting her in such a predicament.

_She's abso-fucking-lutely nuts, _he thought pleasantly.

She was nothing like Kikyo, or any of the other women he dated, was she? She had a temper, and she never tried to pretend as if she didn't. She was emotional, and could cry at the drop of a hat, but she didn't hide it from him. She could curse with the best of them when she needed to, and be the perfect lady at other times. She never tried to be something that she wasn't just for him. She spoke her mind with little regard for how he would see her, and if he ever needed an ego check, she always made sure she was the one to give it to him.

Yes, she was definitely extremely different from any of the others, and maybe because of that, maybe she deserved a chance. More importantly, maybe because of her-because of who she was-he deserved to give himself another chance.

_Would it be so bad? _he questioned silently as he continued to gaze at her while she gnawed on her lower lip as if she was silently cogitating over something that she just couldn't quite wrap her head around. _Maybe…maybe it wouldn't hurt to-_

The feeling of something slapping hard against his bare chest drew him from his private thoughts and he flinched reaching for the item, but she moved her hand so fast that all he could do was stare at her as she sat up, her face set in a deep scowl and her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Do you know how embarrassed I was when I found out that was Rin, Takahashi? I work with her for heaven's sake! How the hell was I suppose to explain my being here, you baka?" she snapped irritably, her hands on her hips.

One eyebrow quirked higher than the other, he watched as Ashton slowly scooted out of the way of the rage that was steadily building within her aura. "So, you hit me?" he questioned, his face a mask of perplexity while shifting so that his top half was facing her.

"I could kill you right now, but I don't want to go to jail!" she bit out. "How could you do that?"

The hanyou smirked, knowing from the beginning that she'd more than likely overreact.

"Didn't you say you wanted to keep what's going on between us, between us, and you go and do something like this? Don't you think she'll tell, your brother, and…" She sighed heavily as she sat up a little straighter. "I'll never be able to look at him in the eyes again! After I gawked at him like he was a piece of meat, then flashed my tits to him, I swear he's going to think I'm some kind of clueless slut that's just begging to jump into bed with a fucking Takahashi!" she finished with a vicious growl as she quickly picked up a pillow and threw it at his head.

"You did what to my brother?" Inuyasha asked, effortlessly knocking the pillow out the way.

Fanning her hand in a flippant manner, she retorted, "They were all accidents, but I did it and now… After Rin tells him that I was at your house…" She growled and jumped at him, but Inuyasha caught her hands this time and pulled her on top of him so that she was sitting up straddling his lap. "How could you… Why would you do that?"

"I already told you," he began, holding her wrists tight while repositioning his body so that he was sitting straight up, his back pressed against the headboard of his bed. "I wanted a witness to just how fucking crazy you are."

Kagome glared at him. "Inuyasha, I'm serious! That wasn't even as remotely funny as you probably think it was!"

"I'm serious too, Wench," he responded coolly.

She gawked at him, her eyes the size of smaller saucers. "If you think I'm so crazy, then why the hell am I here, huh? Why the hell haven't you just left me alone?" she shouted, her irritation apparent in every nerve and blood vessel of her body.

Inuyasha stared at her; allowed her question to roll around his head. He knew she probably didn't mean for him to take her questions seriously, but unfortunately with everything that he'd been thinking about lately that was a damn good question.

Why was he keeping her around, if she was so crazy? Why did he find it almost intolerable to be without her? Why was it when she wasn't around, he was constantly thinking about her, even though he didn't want to?

The answer to all of his questions came to him in silent whispers and glimpses of a future yet to be discovered. They came to him on the beaks of vultures and the wings of fallen angels, and all he could do…all he was allowed to do…

Releasing her wrists, he ran his clawed thumb along her chin line to her lower lip as he whispered softly, "I like your kind of crazy."

It appeared to have taken her a moment to grasp exactly what he'd said, but when she did, he could feel the tension leave her body as if it had never existed. Her lips slowly curled into a tight smile as a slight blush dusted her cheeks, and her eyes softened. "You…you like my kind of crazy," she repeated hesitantly.

"Yeah Higurashi, I think I do."

"Inuyasha," she breathed, leaning forward slowly. "I swear sometimes, I just want to kill you, but others-" She didn't get to finish that statement as their lips connected repeatedly, in short sensuous kisses, and then delved into a passionate embrace that left her breathless and aching for more.

Inuyasha buried his fingers in the roots of her hair as she slid up higher on his lap so that she was sitting directly on top of his quickly growing member. Pulling her hair back, he made her expose her neck to him seconds before he allowed his tongue to flick out and taste her sweet decadent flesh.

Kagome rocked her hips forward, brought her arms up so that it was wrapped around his neck, and whispered his name seductively.

Sliding his free hand up under her shirt, Inuyasha palmed her breast gently and allowed his other hand to fall back down to her backside. Holding her down firmly on him, he gyrated up towards her, silently letting her know that his golden pole was ready.

Kagome reached down and grabbed the ends of her t-shirt, and quickly pulled it over her head and tossed it to the side.

Inuyasha leaned in, hastily taking one of her pert nipples in his mouth. Growling low, he gently bit down and tugged, his head shaking from side to side, causing her to hiss in pleasure as she arched her chest towards him.

"Inuyasha," she whispered, undulating down on his still covered groin.

Gods he wanted her, he always wanted her! There was something about her very being that made it so that he couldn't…didn't know how to tell her no. It made him feel weak, dumb, and helpless and he loved it just about as much as he hated it.

Switching to her other breast as she rose up slightly and slid her hand down between them and into his pajama bottoms, Inuyasha almost lost himself in her touch. She grasped his member possessively, squeezing it, jacking it up and down, ran her thumb over the sensitive head spreading the pre-cum that he couldn't hold in as she leaned in, and whispered wantonly, "I want you inside me, now."

The hanyou shivered under her hold as she continued to jack his staff slowly up and down, while her beautiful mouth…her heated tongued flicked over the tip of his right ear, and then dipped in licking at the reddish skin that lined the inner walls. He froze, his body unable to handle the subtle yet tantalizing attacks that she was pouring on him.

"Ka…gome," he hissed.

"Now, Inuyasha, I want you now. Please…don't make me wait," she whispered, kissing her way down the side of his face to his parted lips. Her tongue flicked out, slipping into his mouth, traced over each of his fangs, and every last shred of control that he had left slipped out of his grasp.

Grabbing her, he held her close, devoured her mouth, and allowed his claws to rake over the tender skin of her back as his body pulsed against hers demanding that he listen to her, that he give her the release she was begging for.

Without breaking contact, Inuyasha grasped her ass and flipped them so that he was lying between her heated legs. She arched her chest towards him, her body rolling against his with such need, such desire, and so much passion that he found it hard to believe that one person…one woman was even capable of making him feel so out of control.

She pushed at the waist of his pajama bottoms until they were down below his butt-cheeks while he quickly slipped his claw into the side band of her bikini panties snapping the strap. Leaning up far enough away, he quickly kicked off the offending pants and turned his attention back to her.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he realized that Ashton had left the bed, but not the room. He honestly couldn't bring himself to care much about that as his skin connected with hers again.

His mouth greedily found hers again as his fingers sought out her heated nether region. He parted her lips, slipped one then two fingers into her and reveled in the way that she reacted to his touch.

Her womb sucked against his digits, allowed him to dig in deeper, roll over her grooves and repeat the process timelessly.

Kissing his way quickly down her neck, the sensuous valley between her breasts, over her flat abdomen, Inuyasha pulled his fingers out of her, parted her legs wider, and delved in with his tongue, tasting her languorously. His tongue roamed over her clit repeatedly as her hips rose up off the bed to meet his slow ministrations.

"Teasing… Stop…" she mumbled with bated breath as her hands found their way into the roots of his silver mane.

Inuyasha ignored her, dragged his claws over the tender flesh of her inner thighs to her calves, and pushed them further apart. Running his tongue from the tip of her clit down and over her entrance, he lapped at her wetness, slowly drank it in, and allowed her drippings to satiate his thirst.

Her opening was pulsing around his flat wide tongue, begging him to dip in, to play with her…to talk to her if only for a while, but he tried to ignore it, he didn't want her to cum just yet, he didn't want this…this to end. He lapped at it again, swirled his tongue around her clit and drew it into his mouth causing her to rise up against his mouth as a tremble ravaged her body.

Sucking with fervor at her clit as a hungry baby would to its mother's tit; Inuyasha brought her to the brink and pushed her back, taunting her unmercifully, while telling her…showing her that she would not have the release she sought without his expressed consent.

"Please gods… Inu…please," she whimpered desperately, her shaven maiden quivering against his mouth.

Pushing up, he crawled up her body and stared down at her with a mischievous smirk on his face. She actually looked like she wanted to cry, her body involuntarily rolling as if he was in her and she was rocking against him.

"Tell me something," he whispered, his unclad member sitting at the door of her heated moist nest.

Her eyes told him she would say or do anything he wanted as long as he made this feeling…this ache go away.

"Why do you want it so badly?" he questioned huskily.

A soft whine escaped her as she reached up and tried to pull him down to her, but he fought it and demanded more firmly, "Why do you want it so badly, Kagome, tell me."

She raised the back of her hand to her mouth and bit down as she looked at everything but at him. Pushing his hips into her, he drew her attention back to him, but cursed his own imprudence because the warmth of her wetness seared him, and made him want to ram into her, but he held steadfast.

"Tell me or I'll stop," he challenged vehemently.

She looked back at him, her eyes searching his face for something that he hoped she wouldn't find. "I…I want it because I…I don't know how not…" she swallowed and closed her eyes, her body shivering beneath him. "I…I don't know how not to want you," she whispered softly, earnestly and with sincerity.

As his head leaned down to hers, she turned away, without a doubt embarrassed that she'd admitted so much to him, but he wasn't through just yet, he needed to make sure, he needed to make sure that she understood what he was trying to say.

Licking at the outer rim of her ear, Inuyasha whispered as she gasped and slowly brought her arms up to encircle him, "No one else."

Kagome's breath hitched in her throat, her hands frozen in place as her head slowly turned to look at him. Her eyes were asking questions that he didn't want to put voice to, so he whispered again softly as he slowly shook his head, "No one else, Kagome, no one."

Her eyes narrowed slightly as a tear slowly slipped down the side of her temple and into her hair. Slowly, her hands came up to palm both of his cheeks as she finally replied while staring him in the eyes, "Only you, Inuyasha, only you."

The hanyou couldn't explain why that simple statement was enough to make his soul soar, he didn't understand why he felt it so necessary to have her answer that question or that he hear her reply, all he knew at this moment was that their _special friendship_ had once again taken another twist, another turn. And in all honesty, he couldn't really say that he didn't like it, because…because he did. It overjoyed him, but in a way that he truly didn't want to face at the moment.

Reaching down, he grabbed his member and ran it up and down her moist slit applying just enough pressure to make her think that he was about to enter her. He wanted to, he really did, just to feel the raw wetness, the smooth grooves of her womb, and too-for once- feel as if he was truly one with her, but he knew he couldn't do that. He knew that unprotected sex was something that was saved for one's mate or wife; it was the way _he would_ claim his mate when _he_ found her.

Pulling back before he went too far, Inuyasha reached into his nightstand drawer and retrieved a condom. Ripping it open, he started to slide it on, but Kagome's softly uttered question gave him pause.

"Do we really need that, Takahashi? It's okay, you know? I'm…I'm on birth control." Her hand came up to rest over his as she continued, her eyes holding the same thing he'd seen in them earlier that morning-adoration, "I just made you a promise and I won't break it."

"Kagome…" he started as leaned over her, moved her hand, and slid the condom on anyway. "It's not that. I just can't… Not until, I'm married, or at least until I've chosen my-"

He felt a little uncomfortable talking to her about this, because they were actually in the act of having sex, but he had to tell her, because it was the truth.

She reached up, cutting him off as if she didn't want to hear anymore. Attempting to push everything out of his mind, he closed his eyes as she shifted, lifting her hips so that his staff slid into her.

He knew he had the condom on, but he felt like a bastard, he felt like a selfish fool. He'd just basically told her that she wasn't his mate…that she wasn't the woman he would choose to be his wife, and still she wanted him.

Inuyasha pushed up stared down at her. "Kagome, we don't have to do-" The tears were there, he could smell them and see them, which only served to make him feel like more of a selfish prick.

"Just…just make love to me, Takahashi. Nothing else matters, not now, not tonight."

And like a wretched, horny, despicable fool, he complied.

Those moments, as he rode her slowly, as he kissed at her tears, as she gripped his back, rocked up against him, and whispered his name were the most miserable moments of his life. He'd wanted to stop, to pull out of her, but he could feel it in her aura, she needed him there with her regardless of how much of a prick he was, she wanted him there inside her repeatedly chasing away his careless words.

_I'm sorry, Kagome._

And so he continued gently making love to her. He continued to push her to the edge only to pull her back again. He'd made sure that she climaxed time and time again as if it would cleanse his soul, but it didn't.

As she clung to him, her body trembling against his, breaking him with each rock of his hips, and kiss of his lips, he felt like he was dying inside, seemingly drowning in an ocean of his own creation.

_I'm so sorry, Kagome._

He got so close to release, but as if it was some sort of punishment, it would flee just outside of his grasp. Until eventually, he just stopped chasing it altogether.

As she came for the final time, he laid there waiting, counting the seconds until he could withdraw from her. After what he'd said, he knew he had no right-not anymore-he had no right to ever touch her like this again, and he supposed that he'd have to be alright with that.

As her breathing slowed, Inuyasha pushed up gently and withdrew his member from her. Glancing down at her quickly, he rolled to his side of the bed and sat up, his feet on the floor and his back to her.

Removing the condom, he reached down, picked up the torn condom wrapper and tried to fight off the way his insides burned and twisted into itself as if clawing at him angrily as he felt the bed shift. He didn't want to look behind him, because he knew if she was getting dressed again there really wasn't a damn thing that he could say to her this time.

Against his better judgment, he glanced back and for a brief moment, he was relieved because she wasn't getting dressed, instead she was balled up on her side, the covers pulled up around her neck, and her back to him.

Lying down wearily, the hanyou sighed, hating himself for making her feel like this. She didn't have to say anything, not a word, because he could feel it, damn it. He'd said the words…allowed them to flow from his mouth like water; once again not understanding exactly how it would sound to her human ears.

"_It's not that. I just can't… Not until, I'm married, or at least until I've chosen my-" He_ heard his words whispering through his head tauntingly and Inuyasha closed his eyes and tried to force his mind to be quiet. _Damn it!_

Knowing that he probably wouldn't get an answer, the hanyou questioned hesitantly, "Ka…gome?"

She didn't reply.

His soul tore at him, screamed hateful words that cut like knives and promised him a slow torturous death.

"Kagome, I'm…" he tried again.

She rolled over so quick that he couldn't react. She covered his mouth with her hand stopping him from speaking altogether. Resting her head on his shoulder, she sighed, but still didn't speak.

Inuyasha stared down at her, silently begging her to look up at him with those beautiful eyes of hers. He silently pleaded with the gods above that he hadn't just ruined everything, but she wouldn't look at him, nor would she let him speak, and still he could smell her tears and feel her pain.

_Gods, Kagome, I'm sorry, I didn't…I didn't mean it like that. I swear I didn't! _He'd fucked up, he knew he had.

If he could go back, if he could rewind the clock a few minutes, a few hours, gods how he would take back every thought, every freaking notion he had of not wanting her with him all the time or wanting to put distance between them. He'd push those wayward feelings to the back of his mind and he'd appreciate every second, every moment he had with her.

_Gods, I'm so stupid! Kagome…_

He didn't know how he knew, but he knew…he just knew that it was over.

He tried to open his mouth again, but she shushed him, her hand slipping down his chest to his side. "Don't… You don't have to say anything, Takahashi." She snuggled her head into his shoulder and finished despondently, "I understand; I do. I've…I've never been good enough."

Inuyasha's eyes closed at her heartfelt admittance; his soul, his heart, his very being ripping in two. He tried to swallow pass the lump in his throat, but the knowledge, her confirmation that he'd just done the same exact thing that Kouga had done to her when he turned his back on her and got married.

"_I understand; I do. I've…I've never been good enough."_

Takahashi tried to blink away the moisture that started to accumulate errantly behind his eyelids. He hadn't meant it, damn it! He hadn't, but…but he'd done it…he'd said it. He'd basically done the exact same thing to her that Kouga had done, with two exceptions: He'd told her to her face that she basically wasn't good enough, and…and he'd fucked her one last time, afterwards.

A distinct stabbing sensation ripped from his back to his chest and he grimaced painfully as he bit back a soft whimper, but as her words continued to play in his mind as if it were a skipping record, _"I understand; I do. I've…I've never been good enough," _he knew he deserved nothing less.

**Until Next Time**… (Your .02 cents are appreciated!)

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**Next Chapter:** Silly of Me…

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_**Acknowledgements: **_(All others have been sent PM's)

**Jin:** If you think Kouga is going crazy now in a few chapters you're going to think he lost his freaking mind…lol. Thanks for your wonderful review, my friend!

**Nathalee:** Woman, where the heck were you? Do you know I almost didn't update that last chapter because you hadn't reviewed? Seriously, you have me that addicted to your reviews. (smiles) No, I haven't forgotten about Confrontations II. I swear that fic is on my mind all the time, but I can't get into the right mentality that I need to be in to write or rather finish the chapter I'm already 5 pages into. Unlike this fic, I have to dig down deep into a dark, impassive, and formal part of me that I haven't delved into since I started this fic. So it's really hard to get the juices going again, but I'm still going to try just for you. I've decided that what I may have to do is re-read what I already wrote and posted, and maybe that will help me. Anyway, I'm still working on it and thanks for your wonderful review, #1!!

**MBC:** Don't you worry your little head; Dinshu will get his; that Inu promises. Or was it Sesshomaru that made the promise? (hint, hint) Thanks for your wonderful review!!

**RSV:** So you've been in lurking status, eh? Well, thanks for reading anyway (lol). Thanks for your wonderful review, my new friend!!

**Menaii:** Aren't we hyper? (lol) Thanks for being so enthusiastic it really helps me update a lot quicker than I initially said I would. Oh, and thanks for your wonderfully upbeat review!!


	41. Silly of Me

**A/N:** As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness!! I just finished writing one of my final papers for my Psych class, so I figured since you guys have really been outstanding with the reviews for the last chapter, I better reward you all!! See, good things really do happen when you guys review! Can you believe it, it has actually been less than a week since I last updated!! Anyway, thanks for all of your wonderful reviews and a special thanks to my beautiful beta, Neko!! Wench, I think we're catching up to ourselves now, I better slow the updates down or either write more, eh? (lol)

**A special thanks goes out to all you that voted for this fic with the IYFG. Heart's Landfill has just won 1st place Best Drama for the 2008 4th Quarter!! Thank You!! Thank you!! Thank you!!**

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**Disclaimer: **I do not claim ownership of anyone with the exception of Nya, Nola, Dr. Aikio, Gage, Takira and Dinshu. Deniece Williams and her recording company owns all rights to the song titled, 'Silly of Me'.

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_**Chapter 41:**_

_**Silly of Me**_

Sitting her bag down on the couch, Kagome knelt down and unfastened Ashton's leash.

She didn't want to leave Inuyasha the way she did, but she couldn't make herself wake him up. She just couldn't face him…didn't want to face him after last night.

The way that she'd acted towards him when he'd forced her to admit that she only wanted him… She couldn't deny it; at that moment, she wanted to be with him; she wanted to be his girlfriend, his one and only, she did.

And momentarily, she'd believed that that was what he meant by asking her…by making her promise that he'd be the only one. She'd thought, hoped, and wanted to believe that he wanted the same thing too and fleetingly…for the briefest of seconds, she'd believed it.

But then she'd opened her mouth and said the stupidest thing she'd ever said in her life, _"Do we really need that, Takahashi? It's okay; you know. I'm on birth control. I just made you a promise and I won't break it."_

She felt like an idiot the moment those words fell from her lips because she knew that unprotected sex was just not something that youkai's and hanyou's took lightly, she felt like an idiot, a complete and utter buffoon.

However, it wasn't until he spoke up with his reason as to why he couldn't go bare-back that she realized that her perception of his question was all wrong, and it wasn't until then that she understood that even though he wasn't married, she was allowing the same thing that happened between her and Kouga to take place again.

"_Kagome… It's not that. I just can't… Not until, I'm married, or at least until I've chosen my-" _

He was definitely different from Kouga in the way that he treated her, but relationship wise, which was something that she thought she didn't want, it was exactly the same, wasn't it?

She was good enough for him to fuck or make love to, of course, but she wasn't good enough to be his mate. And worse than that, to him, she wasn't good enough to even be his girlfriend.

Sure, she'd told herself repeatedly that she didn't want a relationship with anyone, and she couldn't really pinpoint exactly when she started wanting a relationship with him. But regardless of that, it still hurt like hell hearing him say that basically she wasn't the one…she wasn't good enough.

_I'm…I'm never good enough._

She knew he hadn't meant it or said it to hurt her, no, but the truth in those words…the deeper meaning behind them was enough to jar her out of her self-made fantasy and back into the real world.

With Kouga, it had taken hours of tears, one tumultuous heartbreak, and two years of her life to realize that she would never be his wife or his chosen mate. But this time…this time she would be smarter than that. She wouldn't allow herself to be taken for another ride, for lack of a better word.

_Inuyasha wouldn't do that. He didn't do that, at least…at least he told me instead of just leading me on, _she thought, subconsciously defending his actions_._

She knew she didn't have any right to be angry with him and she wasn't, not really. But she was hurt, her feelings…her heart felt bruised and battered.

_I did this to myself. I developed feelings for him; I let myself develop feelings for him when I knew…I knew I shouldn't have, _she admitted as she lightly scratched Ashton behind the ear, stood to her feet, and started towards the kitchen to fix him something to eat.

Her cell phone sang to life and she stopped and turned towards her purse where it was buried beneath her wallet.

She knew without wanting to know who it was, and for that reason alone she proceeded towards the device. Digging it out of her purse, she stared down at that the screen that read 'Dog-boy' as it continued to ring.

She wanted to answer it, God knows she did, but was there really anything left to say to him? Was there any explanation that she could give him for leaving the way she did? Did she even need or rather owe him an explanation at all? Was there anything else that he could say to make his point any clearer than he already had?

_Inuyasha, _she whispered as her heart palpitated within her chest. "I want to talk to him. I want to hear his voice, but I can't…I can't," she whispered as she hit the button on the side of her phone and sent the call to her voicemail.

Setting the device down on the table, she stepped back and started towards the kitchen again. She knew she couldn't avoid him forever, but maybe if she avoided him long enough, she'd be strong enough to tell him the things that she knew she wouldn't under normal circumstances be able to say.

Pulling the bag of dog food out from under her kitchen counter, she paused as her phone sang to life again. Staring at it, she whispered heartbrokenly, "Inuyasha, please stop." She knew it was him, she just knew it.

Turning her attention away from the insistent device, Kagome poured two cups of food into Ashton's bowl, and then quickly refreshed his water as the device finally stopped ringing.

Her mind was telling her to ignore it, that it would be better this way, and that eventually she would get over him, but her heart was pounding as if screaming…begging to see him…to touch him…to have him touch her.

It was almost as if her heart and her soul were telling her that it was okay to just be his play thing, and that it really didn't matter if she wasn't good enough to be his girlfriend. As long as she was still in his world, his inner circle, it would be okay.

Biting down on her lower lip, she shook her head and mumbled despairingly, "No, it's not okay. It's not."

Her eyes stung with unshed tears as she stepped out of the kitchen and made her way down the hall towards her room.

"_Kagome… It's not that. I just can't… Not until, I'm married, or at least until I've chosen my-" _she heard his words…his truth whisper through her mind, and she staggered slightly as a sob unlike anything she felt before escaped her.

Grasping onto the wall to steady herself, Kagome wiped at her eyes and tried to tell herself that she wasn't going to cry, but her attempt was fruitless because the more she tried, the more the tears flowed from her eyes ravaging her soul.

Collapsing to her knees, she wrapped her arms around herself, and began to rock back and forth slowly as a torrential downpour of tears coursed down her cheeks.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she heard her cell phone begin to ring again, and she raised her hands to cover her ears as her head started to slowly shake from right to left as if trying to deny the fact that it was more than likely him again.

_Inuyasha, please stop. Please try to understand. I've done this before. I…I can't do it again. I…gods…I can't do this again! Not again! Not for you… Not for anyone!_

"_Kagome,"_ she heard it, his voice whisper in her head calling out to her with such urgency that she almost stood to her feet. She looked around desperately, hoping to see him…hoping that he was there, but she knew better; it was simply wishful thinking and nothing more.

Pulling her knees up to her chest, she hugged them as the ringing finally ceased. Laying her head on her raised knees, she sighed and wiped at her eyes again as another consortium of tears started.

As she sat there holding herself and trying to maintain what was left of her sanity, she realized…she understood that she was…that she was not just crying for herself. She was also crying for him, because even though this hurt her more than she cared to admit, it would also hurt him and she hadn't wanted to hurt him, she'd never wanted to do that.

This realization also made her aware of something else. Something that she'd tried to refute for some time now, since before they started having sex. She realized that…that she cared for him…that she…that she…

"I…I…love him," she whispered sadly as the radio that she'd set to turn on every few hours for Ashton when she was at work, clicked on.

Her head lifted as the words to the song playing softly flowed through her head as if it were some kind of cruel joke. She'd never heard the song before, but the words, the lyrics only caused her to cry harder.

"_Silly of me to think that I could ever have you for my guy, how I love you. How I want you. Silly of me to think that you could ever really want me too, how I love you. You're just a lover out to score; I know that I should be looking for more. What could it be in you I see? What could it be? Oh love-stop making a fool of me…"_

Kagome stood to her feet as the words continued to play, driving her heartbreak deeper into the very core of her being. Shuffling quickly over to the stereo, she stared at it as if it had offended her somehow.

The words that the woman was singing were a stinging thing against her soul. The truth in those words, the power behind them, and the ache that they caused to build within her chest was something that she honestly wasn't strong enough to handle, or tolerate.

Wiping at her eyes yet again, she whispered as she slowly punched the power button, "Stop…stop making a fool of…me."

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_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

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It was a bitter thing, biting and tearing at his heart, his nerves, causing him to walk that thin line between insanity and sanity. It drove him to the ends of madness and the brink of darkness. It was tearing, whipping and molding him into a person he didn't recognize and didn't understand.

It started, with a vicious bite, an angry snap of something buried so deep within him that he couldn't control it…didn't want to control it.

Inuyasha knew without having to be told that the moment the sun crested in the East, she would be leaving him, and as he laid there pretending to be asleep… As she kissed his cheek and slid from his side to get dressed with quiet preciseness, something told him to get up and talk to her, to stop her, but his ego and his wounded pride wouldn't let him move.

And the pain in his chest grew and stretched ferociously.

He heard her call quietly to Ashton and the dog seemed to not want to budge, but eventually complied moving from his side as well, though reluctantly.

At that moment as the both of them left him, he couldn't quite explain the feeling of loneliness that encased him.

When he'd heard the front door close softly behind her, he'd sat up abruptly. His body, his blood pulsating as if trying desperately to reach out to her to pull her back, but still he couldn't make his feet move. He couldn't force himself to go after her-not after what he'd done…what he'd said to her.

Since then, he'd managed to miraculously drag himself out his bed, which was one of the hardest things to accomplish since her scent covered his sheets, his pillows and seemed to flow off of the walls in waves, clogging his nostrils and twisting his senses.

He'd even opened the front door, knowing she wouldn't be there waiting for him, but secretly hoping and praying that by some miracle she was.

His cell phone had rung a few times during the early morning hours and each time it caused his heart to nearly jump out of his chest in hopes that it was her, but each time it wasn't.

The first call was from his brother, then Rin, and then Nya, but none of them were from her, so he didn't answer any of those calls.

He knew why his brother and Rin were calling him, she'd probably had the pups, but he just couldn't make himself pretend with them that everything was okay, when his life…his happiness had just been tossed out of a 50th story window and shattered into a billion pieces at his feet.

He knew it wasn't right for him to be so selfish, but how could he go around them and pretend that he was happy for them, when in some way he was, but then again he wasn't. They had everything and he…he had nothing?

He knew that the closest he'd come to that type of happiness was with Kagome, and last night he'd fucked that up royally.

Of course, when he'd married Kikyo he'd thought that perhaps he was close, but what he felt with Kagome-even though they weren't in a serious relationship-what he felt in the few days…the weeks, and the scant months that he shared with her-eclipsed anything that he felt for or with Kikyo, and he had ruined it! He'd completely and without a shadow of a doubt fucked it up!

_I need to talk to Kagome. I need to at least try to make this right, _he decided. _Even if I can't salvage what we had, maybe I can at least get my friend back._

For a transitory moment he felt hope, but just as quickly as it came it was gone.

He had no right to ask for her friendship, did he? He had no right any longer to ask anything of her, nothing, because he'd told her…he said to her that she wasn't good enough.

He'd actually opened his mouth and said it out loud directly to her.

He knew he didn't mean it like that, but did it really matter how he meant it? Did it even matter what words he used? Did it really matter?

No! Of course not, because regardless of what he'd said, he'd still told her that she wasn't good enough.

Sure, he didn't believe or even think for a minute she wasn't good enough. If anything, he probably wasn't worthy of her, but that was still neither here nor there, it was done…he'd still said it.

After all, what kind of man would willing break a woman's heart and then fuck her one last time? What kind of man would know the way a woman really felt about him and pretend…act as if he didn't know or that it didn't matter, because all he was concerned with was protecting himself from falling for her, from allowing her the chance-if it came to that-to truly make him happy?

_I'm a bastard! A sick fucking bastard that's no more worthy of her than that prick of an ex-boyfriend was!_

Why was it only now, he seemed to be seeing things clearly? Why was it that now, in this instant…in the moments after she'd left him did he finally understand that he had absolutely nothing to gain by pushing her away, but everything to lose?

Walking back into his bedroom, Inuyasha's fingers moved of their own accord as he picked his cell up off of the bed where he'd set it earlier.

He knew he shouldn't call her, but he needed to hear her voice and just in case she actually answered, he needed to apologize, and beg her to please give him another chance, a real chance this time.

The phone rang more than a few times before her voicemail clicked on, causing him to growl violently while ending the call.

A part of him knew that she'd seen him calling and was ignoring him, but as much as he wanted to be mad or angry with her for that slight, he couldn't because he deserved so much more than that.

_Please, Kagome, pick up,_ he pleaded silently as he dialed her number again.

The phone rang for what seemed like hours before her voice mail picked up again, _"Hi, you know who you've called, so go ahead and leave me a message and I might call you back."_

He grimaced despondently as his soul, his heart warred again his mind. He wanted to leave her a message telling her…begging her to forgive his stupidity, but the words he needed to say would not come out, so instead he hung up and sighed heavily as his head hung low.

His pride whispered to him that she was making him chase her. It shouted at him that he was Takahashi Inuyasha, and that he didn't need to chase behind one skirt when women all over the world wanted to be with him. It told him, screamed at him that each time he dialed her number and got her voicemail it was like she was slapping him in the face!

He didn't really understand why the thought of her hitting him, made him smile sadly, but it did.

Maybe it was because if she was there really slapping him, at least she was there with him…at least it meant that she was there. Maybe just the thought of her slapping him, somewhere in the back of his mind made him feel closer to her, so much closer to her than he really was. Or maybe…just maybe the thought of her slapping him felt like just punishment for what he'd done and said to her.

_Gods if she was here now… If she was here, I'd let her maim me if it meant she'd forgive me. If it meant that it wasn't over. I'd let her… I'd give her… _He stood up, stared down at the phone in his hands as realization slowly dawned on him as if it were the tides slowly coming in.

His chest heaved, whispering the words he couldn't say…the words he had been trying so hard to deny. _I'd…I'd give her…I'd try to give her my heart if she forgave me._

That knowledge, that fact, that tidbit of information was enough to quiet his heart and make it ache all at once; it was enough to make him want to cry out in agony.

How could he have been so stupid? How could he have been so selfish, so self centered?

If only he had seen this before. If only he had not tried to stop what was happening between them. If only…if only he hadn't…if only he hadn't put his foot in his fucking mouth and run her off!

_If I hadn't… If I hadn't, I would still be in denial._

Flipping the phone open, he stared down at the numbers not seeing them, but dialing just the same. It rang and rang and rang in his ear, but she didn't answer.

As the voice mail picked up, he began pacing back and forth until the beep echoed like that of flat-lining heart monitor.

"I…I fucked up, I know I did Kagome, but…but I need to see you. I…I need to talk to you, please," he pleaded softly. "Please just call me back. Just give me a few seconds of your time. I'm…I'm sorry about last night, I really am, but…" He swallowed, cleared his throat, and tried to stop the way his voice was cracking before he continued, "Kagome, if you care anything for me, please call me back."

He knew that by pitting her broken heart against the way she possibly felt for him, he was placing her between a rock and a hard place, but that was okay. He was more than willing to play dirty, if it got her to call him, and if it meant that they could talk about this. After all, all's fair in _love_ and war, isn't it?

His cell phone rang and he jumped, picking it up without even looking at the caller id. "Kagome?" he questioned frantically.

The person was quiet before they spoke, "You're not that lucky, Half-breed."

Inuyasha sighed, unable to find the anger he sought to give his brother the tongue lashing he deserved. "What's up?" he questioned his voice monotone…hopeless.

"Rin is questioning as to why you haven't arrived at the hospital to meet your nephews."

Sitting down on the edge of his bed, he leaned forward and ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to come up with an excuse that was believable, but found none.

"Sorry, I guess I overslept. Are the pups okay?" he asked, because he knew it was the right thing to do, and not because he was in the frame of mind to actually care.

"They're perfect; did you really expect anything less from this Sesshomaru's loins?"

Normally Inuyasha would have attacked that question with vicious fervor, but he just really couldn't find it in him to care. "I suppose not, huh? What did you name them?"

His brother was quiet as if assessing something before he spoke again, "Gage and Takira."

"Gage and Takira, nice, congratulations."

"What time should I tell my mate to expect you?"

Inuyasha sighed lightly and stared at the clock on his wall. He really didn't feel like going anywhere or doing anything, but he knew he couldn't avoid this.

"Umm, tell her I'll be there around lunchtime or so."

"I'll let her know," Sesshomaru advised, and then questioned, "Inuyasha, exactly when did Higurashi Kagome start calling you?"

Inuyasha removed the phone from his head and stared at it as if that was the stupidest question he'd ever heard, seconds before he flipped it close, hanging up on his brother.

Tossing the cell phone onto his bed, he laid back and stared up at the ceiling, silently praying that the gods up above would make her call him, if only for her to yell at him and tell him how much of a selfish son of a bitch he was.

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

"I'm sorry, but we need to take her in for a few more tests," a dark haired nurse stated, stepping into the hospital room.

Glancing from Sango, who had been uncharacteristically quiet during most of her visit, Kagome stood up. Stepping over to the bed, she placed a gentle kiss to her friend's forehead and squeezed her hand, but she couldn't find it in her to say anything reassuring.

She figured if she did, it would seem rehearsed or worse, somehow cheesy.

As the nurse began wheeling Sango out of the room, Kagome sighed and looked over at where Miroku had been standing for the past hour and a half gazing out the window.

She was sure that whatever was out there was nowhere near as interesting as what was in his head, but figured that that was okay too, because after what he and Sango had gone through, to expect anything less would have been more than a little naïve.

Once she was able to pull herself together, Kagome knew she had to visit Sango, because she was more than just her employee, she was her friend…her confidant.

Of course, she hadn't expected to come by herself, but since her and Inuyasha's _friendship _was now over, she really didn't have anyone to depend on but herself. So, once she had gathered enough strength to drag herself out of the bed she'd crawled into after shutting the radio off, she showered, dressed, and pasted on the prettiest smile she could, because her friend needed her, and even though she wouldn't bring it up, she needed her too.

Clearing her throat as she stepped over to one of the three bouquets of tulips scattered about the room, Kagome questioned softly, "Such beautiful flowers, who sent them?"

At first she didn't think he was going to answer her, until his hoarse voice replied, "You did."

Fingering one of the striking yellow buds, she questioned more to herself than to him, "Did I?" She couldn't for the life of her remember doing that, so she reached for the card that was still placed among the buds.

Pulling out the small card, she read it quickly. It certainly looked like she'd sent it, but she just couldn't remember doing any such thing, and if she had, she definitely wouldn't have sent three of them, not that Sango didn't deserve it, but she just wouldn't have.

"When were they delivered?" she questioned mildly, wanting to know how she could have sent something she didn't remember sending, and in an attempt to create small talk.

Miroku cleared his throat, but didn't turn to face her as he answered dryly, "Yesterday afternoon."

"I see," was her only response. _I was so out of it yesterday, could I have? But if I did, why- _She dropped the card on the table and stepped back away from the flowers.

No, she hadn't sent them. She was sure of that, but then the only person that could've or possibly would do something like that and say it was from her was Inuyasha.

"Sango won't be coming back to work," Miroku declared, his tone leaving no room for discussion.

Kagome forced her thoughts away from the flowers and turned towards him even though he wasn't facing her. "Excuse me?"

"I said, she won't be coming back to that…that place," he snapped angrily.

She could understand his anger and his reason for not wanting her there any longer, and even if she didn't, who was she to say otherwise. "Of course, I…I totally understand," she replied with a slight bow.

He sighed heavily and his body seemed to deflate just a little. "That bastard… That monster that touched her, he…" Miroku swallowed and shoved his hands deep in his pockets as he inhaled deeply. "We wanted kids, lots of them. Did she ever tell you that?"

Kagome realized that at this moment, he just needed someone to talk to because talking to Sango must have been a difficult thing to do in her current mental state. His aura…his appearance just seemed so angry, so tormented that she felt obligated to listen to whatever he had to say.

"Yeah, she told me," Kagome confirmed, taking a short step forward.

He snorted harshly, his shoulder length hair whipping back away from his shoulders. "Because of what that bastard did… Because of his fucking claws…"

"Miroku," she whispered as she stepped towards him, not really wanting him to finish because she had a good idea of exactly where he was going with this. Placing her hand on his shoulder, she continued, "Miroku, you don't-"

He cut her off as if he'd hadn't even been listening to her to begin with, "He ripped her…tore her insides like she was nothing…like she was a piece of trash on the side of the street!" As those last words fell from his lips, his head dropped and a sob escaped him the likes of which she had never heard from a man before.

He brought his hands up to his face as if he was trying to hide the fact that he was crying, but still his body shook and trembled. He was mourning the loss of his most treasured dreams, his wife, his one and only true love, she knew that, but she felt powerless to help him.

Stepping up to him, Kagome slipped her arms around his shoulders and pulled his head down to her shoulder. "Miroku, I'm… Dear God, Miroku, I'm so sorry," she told him as he continued to weep in her arms, which only caused her to begin to tear up as well.

He slipped his arms around her waist, and pulled her closer as he began to cry harder-apparently releasing everything that he wasn't able to release in front of Sango. He was like a child clinging to her desperately as if she could make this right, as if she could and would chase away his nightmares.

Almost as quick as it began, it ended and he stepped back away from her in the manner befitting someone that had just been burned. He glanced at her, a rueful smile on his face and turned back to the window, his only solace in this storm it seemed.

Wiping at his face, he said, "They showed me the pictures…the x-rays and they told me… They told her that there was a chance that she could still carry a baby, but I'm a doctor, Kagome. Gynecology is my specialty and those pictures…" Another sob escaped him and he threw his head back and stared up at the ceiling as if it would stop the tears that still demanded release. "Those pictures… What that fucking bastard did to her…to the woman I love, Kagome… Oh, oh, God," he hissed as he brought his hands up to his face again and whimpered.

"Miroku, I'm…"

His head snapped up, his sadness replaced by raw anger and rage. "I…I don't want your pity, and neither does Sango! You…you're just glad that it wasn't you, aren't you?!"

Kagome stepped back away from him, her head shaking from right to left as her mind tried to swallow what he just shouted at her. "Miroku, no. If I could…If I could…"

"You would what? Answer your phone one of the 15 fucking times that she called you? You…you would've shown up to fucking work, Kagome!" he growled, his anger a vicious, spiteful thing that she somehow knew wasn't totally directed at her. Still, his accusatory tone hurt like a knife piercing her chest repeatedly.

She stepped back as he continued, "If you could, Kagome, what would you do, huh? Reverse time? You would've been there to keep her from lying to that monster to protect you?" He laughed; it was a harsh sadistic thing that was so unlike him that it forced her to step back away from him and clutch her chest. "No, let me guess! You're so fucking sorry that you wish you could take her place, right? Well guess what, I wish you could too!" he bellowed, his eyes glaring at her, threatening her and demanding that she make amends for what she's done.

Kagome stared at him, unable to keep her tears from flowing, unable to stop the burning sensation that was building in her chest. Those hateful words…the belief that he was blaming her…that he…that he thought that she…that she was responsible for this atrocity was a painful pill to swallow.

"Take your fucking flowers; she doesn't need them! Take your fucking flowers, Kagome, and give her back what the fucking prick took from her! Give us back what that bastard took from us!" he roared furiously, swinging his arms out to his sides and knocking one of the vases filled with tulips to the floor.

Turning quickly, she picked up her purse and ran out of the room as thick tears cascaded down her cheeks, smearing her make-up and making it so that she could barely see.

She wiped at her eyes fitfully, but the more she wiped the more the damnable tears came.

Where had she gone wrong? When did her life start falling apart? Why…why was this happening to her?

Rounding a corner, she didn't care where she ended up or who was watching her, she just wanted…needed to get out of here. She needed to get away from his hateful words and this…this…

_Inuyasha, _she silently whispered not meaning to, but he…he was where she felt safe. He was the only place that she found comfort.

Unfortunately, that only served to make her cry even harder because it was over between them. What they had found in each other was not meant to be; it was done…finished…dead.

There was no place for her to go. She had no one she could lean on, no one that could…that could make this pain…this ache go away.

Her breathing was labored and heavy as she pushed through a set of double doors while trying to wipe at her eyes. She collided with someone, but she didn't know who it was, and honestly she didn't care anymore as another part of her broke and crumpled into dust at her feet.

Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that this by no means was appropriate, but she clung to that stranger, fisted her hands in his shirt and buried her face in his chest as her legs gave out from beneath her.

She held on to him as if he was the only thing letting her know that she was still a living, feeling, and breathing human being.

As her soul opened up and she felt the stranger's hands come up to hesitantly steady her, her only thought as her body quaked against his was, _Takahashi, why…why? Gods, why is this happening to me?_

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

"Are you sure Sesshomaru's the father, because I swear they're just too handsome to be related to him," Inuyasha gushed, trying to sound happy as he leaned over one of the bassinets his brother had brought in for this special occasion.

Rin smiled, her eyes locked on that of the precious little boy in her arms with golden eyes and barely there white strands of hair on his little head. Pulling the blue and white stripped cap back over his head to cover his little triangular ears that were identical to his uncles, she replied, "Yeah, I'm sure. And if you don't believe me, I think that Takira might take after him totally. Outside of when I had him, he hasn't cried at all."

Reaching into the bassinet, Inuyasha ran his claw lightly over the pup's nose in an attempt to wake him. "So this is Takira, huh? And that one there is Gage?"

"Yes," Rin gushed as she stared down at her firstborn who was at the moment trying desperately to suck the side of his little hand. "Are you hungry, sweetie?"

"Nah, I already ate," Inuyasha replied, reaching into the bassinet to pickup Takira.

Rin rolled her eyes at him, but smiled. "You know, I do have other sweeties now, don't you?"

Situating the little bundle wrapped in a yellow and blue cashmere blanket in his arms, Inuyasha grinned down at the little boy as he rubbed the ball of his finger over the baby's soft hand. He had to admit that this was a beautiful sight.

Takira yawned wide and his little eyelids cracked open lazily revealing two golden orbs and the hanyou couldn't help but to smile down at his nephew.

"Hey you, I'm your uncle," he declared proudly. "When you get older we're going to kick a lot ass, you hear?"

"Lover, are you teaching him bad words already?"

Inuyasha grinned down at the pup. "I'm just getting him ready for the big bad world is all."

Gage whimpered in Rin's arms and Inuyasha turned his attention to him, "Ah, don't worry, twerp," he quipped, reaching over to wiggle one of Gage's little feet that was sticking out of his blue and yellow cashmere blanket. "We'll let you tag along too."

Rin shifted her son, rocking him gently in her arms. "I don't know who's going to be worse you or your brother. Did you know he had monogram car seats made for them?"

"Yeah, well now I have a reason to fix up that extra room. What color do you think they'll like? Red or blue, or should I paint it red and blue?" Inuyasha questioned while walking over to the window. "And I need to order some baby furniture; two of everything.

"You know you don't have to do that, right?"

"Please," he scoffed. "Only the best for my nephews; heck, I can hardly wait until I can start teaching them how to drive. You think Sesshomaru would mind if I bought them their first motorcycles?"

The hanyou missed the way Rin smiled proudly at him before responding, "I don't think he'd mind at all, Inuyasha. And I think whatever color you choose to paint their room at your house, they'll be fine with it."

"Yeah, they're cool like that, aren't they?" he questioned rhetorically, a proud grin on his face.

_Inuyasha, _he heard her voice as if she was standing beside him whispering in his ear.

Takahashi turned, looked around the room, and sniffed, but she wasn't there and hadn't been. Glancing down at his nephew again, the hanyou smiled as he tried to force her from his mind so that he could enjoy his new family members.

A stabbing sensation jarred him out of his forced state of happiness, forcing him towards the bassinet again. He couldn't explain it…didn't know how to explain it, but he felt like she needed him, like…like she was hurting.

He tried to smile through the steady pain that was growing in his chest, but it appeared that the more he fought it, the more vicious it became.

After kissing the pup on the forehead, he gently laid him back in the bassinet and stepped back, his fist balling up and releasing of its own accord. He felt like running, like every nerve in his body was on fire. If he had to explain it, he would have said that this feeling was akin to anxiety.

_I…I have to go, _he thought not knowing where he was going but just feeling that he had to get out of there, he had to…he had to find her, Kagome.

"Rin, I'll…I'll be back," he stated quickly as he stepped back towards the door.

"Are you okay?" she questioned unsurely.

"Yeah…yeah, I'm fine, I just…I just need to get some air," he answered turning and starting out the door.

Stepping into the hallway, he inhaled deeply and tried to tell himself that he was just being silly. There was no way that he could feel that she needed him, but the more he told himself that, the stronger the feeling grew.

His chest clenched and released, his blood rolling vigorously inside him as if it was trying to separate itself from his very being.

"_Mine," _he heard that damnable voice-that had been more vocal as of late- whisper, but he tried to ignore it by shoving it to the back of his mind. He didn't have time to deal with that, he needed to get to her. Somehow, he had to get to her.

Inuyasha clutched his chest and stepped towards the door that led to the stairwell. Pushing it open, he stared from right to left, and then up and down as his feet, his body just started running up the stairs as if someone was chasing him.

Clearing the 8th floor, he came to an abrupt stop at the door that led to the 9th floor and his heart shook inside of him. It was pulling him towards and through the door with such swiftness that he didn't completely remember opening it at all, but he knew he must have.

Stepping into the hallway, Inuyasha inhaled deeply, his eyes flaring wide as her scent assaulted his nostrils, but it wasn't only that, it was the smell of her tears as well. They mingled, twisted, and swirled together creating something so…so indescribable that it left him speechless.

_What the hell… What is she doing here, and why is she crying?_

"_Takahashi," _there she was again whispering to him in his head as if it was some kind of dream.

"Ka…gome, where are you?" he whispered softly.

He didn't understand half of what was going on, but as he followed her scent, it was almost like he was in some kind of trance. It carried him passed faces he didn't see, down and around more than a few corridors, through a set of heavy double doors and then brought him to a screeching halt!

At that moment time slowed to a drip as unwarranted anger surged violently inside him, while he watched with a heavy heart and anguished filled eyes as Kagome wept, and leaned heavily on a _bastard_ that wasn't him.

Inuyasha growled low, his fist clenching and releasing repeatedly, promising the culprit a slow death for touching what was not his to touch.

"_Mine," _that damnable voice whispered again, and the hanyou took a quiet step forward, his head down, his teeth clenched, and his eyes narrowed dangerously on the two of them.

**Until Next Time**…(Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated!!)

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**Next Chapter**: A Heart's Desperate Plea

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**Acknowledgements:** (All others have been sent PM's)

**Jouyoki:** _**I don't normally do this, but you my friend totally have earned this dedication. I can't believe you read all of Confrontations I & II and reviewed every single chapter in like two weeks and those aren't short stories by any measure of the word!! That's… Wow! What can I say accept, thanks for your dedication and support, seriously!**_

**Nathalie: **Yeah, I know Kagome has been doing a lot of crying lately, but she's a woman and an emotional one regardless of how strong she tries to pretend she is, but don't you worry your pretty little head, she won't be doing much crying much longer. After all, eventually we all run out of those things we call tears, don't we? At least I think we do, at least I did. Anyway #1, thanks for your wonderful reviews and continued support, my wonderful friend!

**RSV**: Dinshu comes directly from my own little warped mind, my friend and he thanks you for the compliment…lol. As for the long chapters, well, I really don't mean for them to be that long, but there's just so much information to get into each chapter and I totally hate skipping over stuff like some authors do. I'm glad you're not bothered by it. Thanks for your review and your support!

**PrincesshXc**: Are you dead yet? (lol) Thanks for your wonderful review, my new friend!

**Jin**: I loved that part as well because we all at times feel like we're just not good enough. Thanks for your continued reviews, my friend!

**Anon**: Sorry, I made you cry, boo-boo. Thanks for reading though!!

**Menaii**: All I can say is thank you for reading and reviewing, and I'm absolutely loving the hyper thing you do!!

**Billy56**: That's a very mature thought, "What doesn't kill us only makes us stronger," even though I'm not sure whether Kagome and Inu see's it that way…lol. Thanks for your review!!

**IrishIndy**: Gosh, you guys are so freaking mature…lol. Thanks for your review, and I hope this chapter did not disappoint you.


	42. A Heart's Desperate Plea

**A/N:** As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness. Alright guys, I want to apologize for the long wait, but before I posted this chapter I wanted to knock out a few more chapters since I was starting to catch up with myself. Thus far, I have finished up to chapter 47 and I'm 5 pages into 48, so we're good for a while, right? (lol) This is going to probably be the last chapter posted until after the New Year, so enjoy and please don't forget to review. However, if the reviews are the way they were for the last chapter, I might just have to lock myself away and update again…lol. Just in case this is it for 2008, let me say **Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! **That said, thanks for all of your wonderful reviews and continued support, my friends. And to my brilliant beta, Neko, love you lots, and happy early birthday!!

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, Nola, Dinshu, Dr. Aikio, Takira, and Gage. All others belong to the wonderful and inspiring Rumiko Takahashi.

* * *

_**Chapter 42:**_

_**A Heart's Desperate Plea**_

Sesshomaru stared down at the weeping woman, his youkai recoiling violently away from her, knowing that she wasn't his mate.

He'd started to push her away, but there was something in her aura that was so damaged and desperate that he realized she would have truly fallen apart had he done that.

He hadn't expected this as he ended his phone call with Jakken, but the moment she came bursting through the double doors and into the waiting room with tears streaming down her face, while wiping feverishly at her eyes, he froze.

Under normal circumstances, he would have turned and high-tailed it in the opposite direction, but when he noticed whom it was, he felt more than a little obligated to at least hang around momentarily to make sure-from a far-that she was alright.

What he hadn't expected, was for her to barrel directly into him. Hell, he wasn't even standing directly in front of her. She was like a heat seeking missile, believe it or not, and before he knew what hit him, there she was twisting her fists into his shirt and burying her face in his chest as she continued to sob.

As he glanced up, away from her trembling shoulders, and around at the scarce occupants of the waiting room, who were all looking at the two of them. His eyes connected with that of a wolf youkai, who was standing over by the information desk.

The youkai seemed to be showing just a little too much interest in the crying woman, and perhaps it was for that reason that he'd reluctantly brought his hands to her hips and steadied her; never once taking his eyes off the demon with the light blue eyes that stood there, staring at her back with a despicable goofy grin on his face.

Narrowing his eyes, Sesshomaru watched as the wolf youkai slowly pulled his cell phone from his pocket, flipped it open, and then turned back to the woman behind the desk.

The dog demon didn't really know what to make of that, but for the briefest of moments, he was glad that he was there to shelter her from the entirely too attentive wolf. Well, he was glad until she sniffled and ran her nose across the front of his shirt.

_Disgusting, _he thought as he watched his younger brother burst into the room via the same doors that Higurashi had come through moments earlier.

He couldn't say exactly why, but for some reason, he wasn't actually surprised at the amount of raw emotion that filled his brother's aura as he eyed the two of them furiously.

He'd known that they had some sort of chemistry between them, but it wasn't until he'd caught Rin on the phone with Higurashi the night before-at three in the morning-that he realized exactly how much of a connection they actually had.

As Inuyasha hesitantly neared them, Sesshomaru was able to read his emotions as if it was an open book before him. He realized quite quickly that his brother cared for the woman more than he was probably ready, or willing to admit.

He'd felt Inuyasha's youkai rear up against his own violently, silently demanding that he release her, but he was sure that his brother wasn't aware that it even occurred.

The look in his eyes, the pain that was hidden behind the confusion of what was happening in his mind was such a palpable thing, that Sesshomaru knew the truth even if Inuyasha didn't.

One eyebrow quirked higher than the other, he queried silently as the hanyou took a few slow steps towards them, _Does he have a clue? _

Schooling his features, the full demon questioned passively, "Is this yours?" He wasn't exactly sure how he expected his brother to answer that, but he had to admit that his response did give him just a tad bit of relief.

"Ye…yeah, she's mine."

Dropping his hands from Kagome's hips, Sesshomaru gently removed her hands from his shirt, forcing her to finally look up at him.

He knew from the look of utter shock and horror on her face as she stared up at him that she was beyond embarrassed, but he ignored it as he turned her to face Inuyasha, who pulled her to him so fast that he was sure that Higurashi didn't have a clue as to what was happening around her.

Stepping back, Sesshomaru glanced in the direction of where the wolf demon was still standing as he spoke quietly to his brother, "If this is your handiwork, Inuyasha, I would suggest that you fix it, quickly."

Shoving his hands into the pockets of his unusually wrinkled slacks, Sesshomaru watched as his brother reached up and wiped away a few errant tears that were trailing down Higurashi's face.

Scowling at the two of them, he silently promised himself that if Rin ever embarrassed him in such a manner in public, he'd leave her there to drown in a sea of her own creation.

As he turned and started back towards the elevators that would take him to his mate and sons, Sesshomaru glanced down at the front his shirt and hissed with disdain, "Revolting indeed!"

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

Kagome stared up at Inuyasha, unable to believe that he was actually there. His soft fingers brushed against her cheek as he gazed down at her; his eyes soft, sad, and trying desperately to tell her something that her mind wouldn't let her comprehend.

His closeness, his tenderness; it was too much…just too much for her to bear at the moment. _No, he…he shouldn't be here. It's over! It's over, _she hissed silently, as she quickly stepped back from him and tried to regain her composure.

It wasn't working, because with every step that she took backwards, he took two forward, attempting to hold on to her, to bring her back into his comforting arms.

She shook her head as another wash of tears tried to fall, and she bit out angrily, more at herself than him, "No!"

The hanyou stopped, stared at her and willed his heart to stop racing. He had to make her understand! He had to make her see that he was…that he was…lost! He needed her to understand that he knew he was a jackass, and a son of a bitch, but if she gave him a chance, he could fix it!

"I'm…I'm sorry, Kagome. I'm sorry and…and I'm stupid."

She took another step back away from him, wanting not to have heard him, but knowing that she had.

"No," she mumbled, her tears blurring her vision. "No, I… No, I…I can't do this," she murmured as she turned and tried to run. The feel of his hand wrapping possessively around her own, stopped her dead in her tracks.

Inuyasha could feel his heart breaking as if it was sitting on a counter being bashed with a hammer. Her words, he couldn't accept them, didn't want to accept them!

"Don't…don't leave like this, Kagome," he pleaded earnestly, stepping back up to her. "Don't… I…" Takahashi stared at her as she stared back at him, her eyes telling him that her heart wanted to listen, but her head was telling her, demanding that she protect herself. "I…damn, Kagome. Just…Just don't do this, please," he whispered sadly.

Kagome continued to look up at him. There was so much pain in his eyes, so much honesty in his words that she wanted to reach out to him, to hold him and tell him that she'd always be there, but she couldn't.

She'd already done that so much with Kouga and look where it got her. She'd set her feelings aside and actually believed that she could love someone enough for the both of them, but…but…she wasn't that naïve anymore; she just wasn't that person! At least, she didn't want to be.

She hung her head, her hand coming up to gently grasp his hand that was holding her in place. Sighing heavily, she reigned in her emotions as best she could. "Let me go, Inuyasha. Please…please just let me go," she silently begged unable to look back up at him. "I've made a fool of myself for long enough, don't you think?"

"Kagome," he whined sympathetically, unknowingly releasing her hand. And in that moment she turned and bolted through the waiting room, through the double doors, and from his sight, leaving him standing there utterly dumbfounded.

Inuyasha couldn't move, he couldn't think pass her, passed what he wanted, what he needed! He couldn't let her walk away from him!

He knew that the prideful part of him was begging him to just turn and walk away, thereby salvaging what little respect he had left. After all, she'd just basically said that she didn't want to be with him, didn't she?

Still, he couldn't do it! He couldn't let her go! He couldn't…he couldn't walk away.

He knew that people were standing around watching them closely and in their eyes, he probably looked like a complete and utter fool that probably deserved to be tossed to the wayside, but he didn't care. He didn't care what any of them thought! All he knew, all he could feel was his soul pulling him…tugging him forcefully behind her.

_I…I don't want her, _he deduced slowly. _I _need_ her. I need her in my life…my bed…my world. I don't want her there, but...but I need her there._

Inuyasha could feel it in the darkened crevices of his soul. Without her, he was nothing, he'd be nothing. No matter how much money he had, or how many material things he accumulated, he knew that if he didn't have her in his life in some form, he had zilch…he was nobody.

Starting off in a slow walk, he quickly picked up speed until he broke into a full out sprint, heading in the direction that she'd gone. He knew she hadn't gone far because her scent was thick in the hallways he passed swiftly thru.

"Kagome!" he shouted coming to a stop in front of an elevator filled with doctors and the woman he desperately needed to speak with. As the doors started to close, he locked eyes with her, begging her to just listen, but it…it was too late. The doors closed; she was gone.

Slapping his hands hard against the steel elevator doors, he shouted again desperately, "Kagome!!" as a feeling of rejection swallowed him whole.

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

Kagome felt like she was hyperventilating, she couldn't breathe, couldn't think. He was so hurt. His eyes were filled with such desperation and pain. The way he pleaded with her to stay, to not leave him…to just listen to him.

_I…I did the right thing, _she tried to tell herself. _I did the right thing. It wouldn't have worked. It never-_

She choked back a soft sob as she stepped backwards, her back pressing against the wall of the elevator, praying that the doors would just open on the first floor so that she could get to her car.

She knew the other people in the moving box were looking at her, but she didn't care. They could all go to hell!

"_Don't…don't do this," _she heard his voice echoing in her head and it only served to cause her chest to heave as she struggled to hold on to what little sanity she had left.

Those words…those four little words were enough to break her resolve, weren't they?

They were enough to make her want to just forget that she wasn't good enough, that she'd never be good enough. Those words were enough to make her want to accept the fact that she would never be good enough, because as long as she was still in his life…his world…then it would be okay. Those damnable words…his words were enough to make her forget that she needed to protect her heart because no else would.

_No, I can't! Not for him, not for anyone! I can't make a fool of myself again! I…I just can't! I'm sorry Takahashi. I'm so…sorry._

The elevator doors opened and closed, people got on and off, but she didn't see them, didn't care to see them as she tried to disappear into the corner of the elevator and lose herself in her mind.

As much as she wanted to run from him, as much as she tried to make herself believe that this was the right thing to do, she still wanted to run to him as well. And no, she didn't fully believe that this was the right thing to do either.

_Maybe it's not the right thing, but it's the only thing that I can do._

It didn't make sense! She'd never felt anything like this before! She'd never felt this confused, this inebriated, or this lost! Not with Kouga, not with anyone!

No one had ever managed to get so far under her skin in the manner that he had! No one had ever gotten as deeply incrusted in her mind and her heart as he had! And so swiftly, so effortlessly that she hadn't even seen it happening!

She felt like she was addicted to him. She felt like she was suffocating without him, yet she was drowning with him. It was almost as if he was the air to her lungs or the warden at her prison, or maybe she was the moth to his flame. Whatever it was; it felt like she was only half of a whole.

He…they complimented each other in such a way that she knew, even though she would always and forever deny it, there would be no others after him.

_It has to be this way! It has to be this way, _she told herself repeatedly in hopes that one day-preferably sooner than later-she'd believe it.

The doors opened and she glanced up at the button that was lit, before she stepped off and quickly made her way to the glass doors that led to the parking lot.

Digging into her purse, she quickly retrieved her keys, paying little attention to the demon that exited the elevator right behind her, a grin on his face, his hands shoved deep in his pockets as he eyed her backside sinisterly.

Running her hand down her face, Kagome pushed the door open and stepped out into the bright sunlight.

_I'll go home to Kyoto for awhile. I'll…I'll go see my family, _she told herself, not realizing that she was reacting to this separation in the same manner she'd reacted to her and Kouga's disastrous break-up.

Scanning the parking lot quickly, she turned and headed towards her car, her heart racing within her chest while her blood pulsated swiftly through her veins as if she was being chased.

_That's what I'll do, and when I come back he'll have forgotten about me. He'll have moved on, because what we had-he'll realize-was never a relationship to begin with._

Hitting the unlock button, she quickly opened her car door and climbed in, determined to get as far away from this place and him as she could and with as much speed as she was capable of.

Jamming her key in the ignition, she cranked her car and spared just a moment to throw her purse on the passenger seat.

_It's better this way. It _has_ to be better this way. And eventually he'll understand that. He'll…he'll see that this was never going to work._

Sighing heavily, she gripped the steering wheel with one hand and shifted the car into reverse as she lifted her head and came eye to eye with a demon that was casually strolling by, his attention focused intently on her.

She blinked, shook her head, and started to press on the gas as she tore her attention away from the youkai and towards her rearview mirror only to gasp in shock.

_Inu…yasha?_

There he was, both his hand pressing on her trunk as if he could hold her in place. His golden eyes pleaded with her to just listen, to just let him talk to her for a minute.

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

Inuyasha glanced away from her and up at a youkai that he realized he'd seen before, but in the frame of mind that he was in, he couldn't focus his mind strongly enough to remember where he knew him from.

Turning his attention back to the woman…his primary goal, he silently pleaded with her to listen to him…to please give him a few minutes of her time to just explain.

He had taken the steps 7 at time, raced through half of the massive parking lot looking for her car, and almost got ran over by more than a few trucks. But none of that mattered, none of it. Because in the end, he'd found her.

He watched her look at him, sadness and uncertainty filling her eyes, and he couldn't stop himself, he couldn't make himself stop the whine that escaped him as he prayed dejectedly, _Please…please just…just make her…. Just make her listen to me. Please._

As if his prayer was being answered, he felt her car shift as she put it back into park, and he sighed as he pushed back off of the car and stepped over to the driver's side door. At first, he didn't think she was going to unlock it, but as soon as he heard the soft click of the locks, hope soared inside of him.

Opening the door, he held out a hand for her to take.

Kagome stared at his open hand. She didn't know why she put the car back into park; she didn't understand why she unlocked the car door, or even why she was putting herself through this misery.

Nothing was going to change; nothing would be any different from the night before. She…she still wasn't good enough, she knew this, and still as he held out his hand to her and she took it, she found it almost impossible to stop herself.

Inuyasha pulled her out the car and stepped back, shutting the door. She looked down, to the side, and at everything but him, and he couldn't blame her even if he wanted too.

Now that it seemed like she was at least willing to listen, he just didn't know exactly where to start or what to say.

_Just tell her, idiot! Just tell her how you feel, _he berated himself as he took another half step back from her and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Why…why won't you let me go, Inuyasha," she asked quietly. "Why do you keep doing this?"

It hurt to hear her softly uttered question, but he wasn't about to let it go so easily. "God knows I want to let you go, Kagome, but I…I don't…I don't think I know how to," he began, still not looking at her. "Just the thought of you… Just the thought…" He scuffed his shoe against the cement in a childish manner, and finished, "It scares the shit out of me, Kagome. It's…it's the only thing that has ever really scared me."

She looked up at him, a part of her overjoyed while the more sensible part of her shouted at her to not fall for his measured words. How many times had she and Kouga talked like this? How many times had he told her what she wanted to hear only to disappoint her?

As she continued to look at him, she realized that unlike Kouga, there was no smile, no grin on his lips, or in his eyes-there was no deceit. The only thing she saw was pain. She saw an ache that swam so deep that she had to wonder if she was really the cause of it.

"I'm sorry, I left you like that this morning, but after last night, I didn't-"

Inuyasha cut her off, "You had every right to do that! I… What I said last night… What I did afterwards… I was a bastard, Kagome. I was a prick, and you deserve so much better than that. I'm…I'm sorry."

She looked at him, her eyes wide. "So you're not upset about-"

"Gods no! To be honest, after last night, I don't even deserve to be standing here talking to you now, but…I'm glad that you stopped. I'm glad that you decided to give me a chance to explain."

Kagome leaned back against her car, her hands folded behind her back. Sure, this was nice and all, but it still didn't change anything. The truth was irrefutable, wasn't it? No matter how much talking they did, she still wasn't going to be good enough. This, what they had, what they shared, just wasn't going to work.

"I…I want you to understand something," he stated softly, looking away from her. "I… Last night when I said what I said, I wasn't…I wasn't trying to say or even insinuate that you weren't good enough to be with me, Kagome. If anything, I'm not good enough for you, not by a long shot."

"It's okay, Inuyasha. You don't have to explain yourself. I was being stupid, really," she responded with a nervous dry giggle. "I just forgot for a moment that we were just sex buddies is all. I…I shouldn't have put you in that situation." She glanced up at him as he ran his hand down his face exasperatedly. "Last night you just made me realize that I…" She stammered, and then tried again, "You made me realize that even though I like being with you like that; it's not healthy for me."

"Kagome, don't-" he tried to say, but she cut him off.

"No, Takahashi. I've thought about this a lot last night and again this morning, and I can't…we can't continue whatever this is. Regardless of what was said or meant last night. We…we just can't," she finished, pushing up off her car.

She looked away from him, unable to believe that she was actually saying the things that needed to be said. Of course, it was doing nothing to aid in his heartbreak, but she knew that eventually he'd get over it. They always did, didn't they?

_It's better this way, _she thought, turning and reaching for her door handle, but his quick movements stopped her.

"Why, Kagome?" he questioned urgently as his hand pressed against the hood and door of her car, keeping her from opening it. "I…I said I was sorry. I said I didn't mean it. Why, Kagome? What else do you need me to say? What else do you want me to do?"

She sighed heavily as she tried to stave back the moisture that wanted to fall. "Does it really matter? When you really sit down and think about it, Inuyasha, does it matter?"

"Yes!" he bellowed, causing her to jump and spin around to face him. "It fucking matters to me!"

She glared at him, but not because she was angry with him, but because he'd scared the living shit out of her. "We can't, because I've done this before!" she shouted back, but clamped down when she saw him cringe and step back away from her.

"You've…what?"

She shook her head, not wanting to say anymore, but deciding quickly that maybe if she did, maybe he'd be able to see where she was coming from.

"I've never told you about this, but…but my past relationship was with a youkai. I wasted two years of my life with him before I finally found out that I wasn't the one for him. I'd always thought that he and I would be together; at least that's what he'd said. But then…but then one night, I found out that while he and I were together, he married another youkai, because I wasn't…I wasn't good enough, because I was just…a human. I can't do that again, Inuyasha, and I'm just glad that you told me the truth last night."

Inuyasha growled low. "Did he tell you, you weren't good enough?" he questioned simply wanting to know so that if he ever ran into that freak, he'd have one more plausible reason to bash his fucking head in.

"Well no, but he did comment about my being _just_ a human."

He heard her, and he understood clearly why she was saying what she was, but he still couldn't see passed what he wanted. He couldn't accept that she was still trying to end it. Didn't she understand that he hadn't meant it? Didn't she understand that… Shit, didn't she understand that he wanted to be with her, and that he was not _that_ prick?

"So, then because you say we're done, we're done? It doesn't matter what I want, right? I don't have any say in this, is that what you're telling me, Kagome?"

"Inuyasha, I just told you why I can't do this. I told you-"

He cut her off and snapped, "I heard what you fucking said, but I'm not him, damn it!"

Kagome growled at him, upset at the idea that he didn't seem to be listening to her. "No, you're not him, but at least he had the decency to make me his girlfriend! But you…you just want a commitment free fuck!"

The moment those words left her mouth she regretted them instantaneously. She hadn't meant to say that! She honestly, hadn't, but there wasn't a damn thing that she could do now.

_How juvenile am I? To throw up in his face that he didn't make me his girlfriend… Gah, what the fuck is wrong with me?_

"Wow," the hanyou mumbled as he stared down at her. Everything in him told him that this was the point at which he walked away. His mind screamed at him that some things just weren't meant to be; it shouted at him to just let sleeping dogs lie-this relationship was over before it even began. But his feet… wouldn't move, and his heart still wasn't willing to give up so easily.

_So…so she's saying that I'm worse than him,_ he thought sullenly as he stared at her, trying to figure out exactly how this conversation had gone so awry. _I don't want to argue with her. I just…I just want us to get back to the way we were. The rest of this drivel can be dealt with at a later time; its…its not what's fucking important!_

"Inuyasha, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said-"

Cutting her off, the hanyou affirmed with a deep scowl, "Everything you just said is the truth." He licked his lips and stepped back away from her as he continued, "It's ugly, and it hurts to hear you say that, but it's the truth."

"Inuyasha, I didn't… It's not-" she tried again apologetically.

Shaking his head, the hanyou frowned and decided that he would be as honest as possible with her. He decided that he'd let his mouth move and hopefully something that came out would be enough to make her understand why he was the way he was. And maybe if the gods were watching them, they'd make her give him another chance.

Glancing at her quickly, he declared sternly, his voice leaving no room for objections, "I want you to listen to me, and once I'm done if you decide that this is it; that I'm not or we're not worth it, then all I can do is accept that. But I want you to listen to me clearly, Kagome, because I think there is something you're not totally understanding about me." Stepping just a little closer to her, he questioned, his head down and his golden irises focused keenly on her, "Can you just listen for one second?"

_Inuyasha, it's not…it's not going to make a difference one way or the other, _she wanted to say, but instead she sighed and nodded her head in agreement.

"When Kikyo, my ex, left me the night of our wedding, I was so numb, Kagome, that I thought I was dying from the inside out," he started softly, his hands shoved in his pockets. Staring down at the ground, he kicked at an invisible rock and continued, "I was furious, humiliated, and depressed. I felt used and I felt worthless. I felt like…I had no reason to go on. I felt like I had no reason to believe in anything or anyone, and to be honest, I didn't want to."

"Inuyasha, you don't have to-"

He shook his head and ignored her. "Weeks went by before I was able to the actually pull myself together enough to leave my house. It took months for me to truly get my life halfway back in order, Kagome. And when I finally was able to get some semblance of normalcy back, I promised myself… I swore on my parent's graves that I'd never ever be that stupid, or that trusting, or that naive again."

_Inuyasha, _she silently whispered, but did not interrupt.

He lifted his head and looked at her as if internalizing something. "And then I met you." He smiled ruefully at her before continuing, "At first, I tried to avoid you like you were the black plague. I tried to pretend that you were no different from any other woman that I ran into on the street."

He shook his head and snorted out a half laugh. "Then I tried to make myself believe that it was okay for us to just be friends, because, well, I just wanted to be around you. Then you kissed me, and _miraculously_, I talked myself into believing that I could have sex with you without any feelings getting involved." He stared up at the sky, a content smile on his face as if he was playing through his memories of her. "That was a battle I lost long before it even started," he whispered softly.

"Inuyasha, what...what are you saying?" Kagome questioned softly.

He turned his attention back to her, gnawed thoughtfully on his bottom lip, and looked away as if he needed to gather the courage to say what was coming. "I tried, God knows I tried and even as I stand here before you now, I'm still trying to tell myself that if I tried hard enough, I could forget you ever existed. I…I could go back to my life before I even knew you existed." He glanced down, shook his head and sighed as he looked back up at her. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't want to have to _try_ to forget you. I don't want to…to know what it's like to have never known you."

Kagome shook her head and stepped back until she bumped into her car, she couldn't believe what she was hearing. He couldn't be for real. This… No, he couldn't be saying what she thought he was.

"Inuyasha, you're not… Oh, God," she hissed as she lifted her hand to cover her mouth. "I'm not… We can't… You can't be saying what I think you're saying."

Inuyasha stepped towards her, his chest heavy as his heart hammered against his rib cage. Honestly, he wasn't sure if he was ready for a relationship…a real relationship with anyone, but what he was sure of was that if he was going to try it with anyone; she would be the only one.

"I understand that you've been hurt in the past, Kagome, but so have I. I can't stand here and promise you forever, because I don't know what tomorrow holds. But what I can promise you is that every day that we are together, I'll do my damndest to make sure you never feel like you're not good enough. I can't even stand here and tell you that I'm in love with you without it sounding forced or cheesy." He grunted out something caught between a laugh and a sigh as he continued, "Hell, I wouldn't even believe me if I said something like that at this point, but…"

Inuyasha inhaled and exhaled slowly as he continued, "I want a chance to find out, Kagome. I want to find out if this chemistry that we have could develop into love, I want to know if my meeting you was destiny or just a mistake, and I want…I want a chance to show you that I'm not as big of an ass as you probably think I am."

Her heart palpitated within her chest.

_Is he saying that he wants to be with me? Is he saying that he wants… _Just the thought was enough to make her want to jump into his arms, but she'd done that before! She'd heard the promises and the sorrowful words before, hadn't she? And she'd fell for them all.

She looked away from him and at the ground as she tried to wipe away the moisture that was building behind her eyes.

"Inuyasha, we can't. You…you know we can't. I'm not ready. You're… After what you told me, you know you're not ready," she whispered unable to meet his gaze.

A slight frown formed at the corners of his mouth as he stared at her. He knew he'd said everything he could…everything that he'd been trying to deny for so long. So then what was really left for him to say?

The hanyou smiled contritely and shrugged his shoulders as he stated evenly, "I know I'm not ready, but I also know that if I don't try, I'll never be ready. I'll keep living in the past, and I can honestly say that since I met you and started this friendship with you, I don't live in _that_ past nearly as much as I use to."

Kagome slowly lifted her eyes to his somber face. She knew the words that were flowing thoughtfully from his mouth were heartfelt and had to be difficult for him to say.

She'd been standing here partly wanting to believe that he was just saying what he thought she wanted to hear to get her back into his bed, but that wasn't it at all. He meant what he was saying; he meant every word of it.

So what, he wasn't promising her forever. Hell, she couldn't even promise him that. And even though she knew…had accepted the fact that she loved him, no, she couldn't stand there either and tell him that she was head over heels in love with him, but she realized that maybe she did want the chance-like he did-to find out.

He wasn't asking her to come back to his bed as _special friends_, he was asking her to be his… He was asking her to give him…them another chance…a real chance at a real relationship. But did she truly want that?

Intertwining her fingers in front of her, she questioned curiously, "And you discovered that you felt this way this morning?"

He snorted derisively. "No, I've felt this way for a while, but even though we weren't in a relationship, I still had you in my life so I didn't need to face it or deal with it. Well, I didn't have to deal with it until this morning. Not until I realized that you really had no desire to be with me any longer."

She fidgeted with her door handle, and then crossed her arms beneath her bountiful breasts as she tried to come to some kind of decision.

"What makes me so different, Inuyasha? Why…why would you decide to try with me? I'm nobody. I'm…I'm short tempered, I'm jealous, I'm selfish at times, and I have trust issues. I have major trust issues, you know that," she stated making sure to stress the last part.

He shook his head and stared at her as he cogitated over her words. "I know you're not perfect, and I don't expect you to be. Hell, if you were, I probably wouldn't be interested in you at all. You're just as flawed and bruised as I or the next person, but it doesn't change who you are to me." He shrugged feeling as if he was rambling. "I don't know. I just know that it feels right. For once, it just feels right," he whispered more to himself than to her.

_It does feel right, doesn't it? It's felt right from the beginning, but I was so jaded, so skeptical, _she pondered as she smiled to herself. "And because it feels right, you're willing to try…for me?" she queried skeptically.

"I've denied the possibilities for so long, Kagome, that it's honestly the only thing left to do," he retorted softly as he turned his gaze towards the sky above. "But, you have to want to try too, or it won't work."

He was disgustingly beautiful, she realized not for the first time. As she stared at him, the sun bathing his skin in a honey glow, causing his long silver mane to shimmer as if it were woven strands of the finest metals sent down from the heavens. Everything about the man bespoke power, he oozed confidence when it was necessary, and could be sillier than a jester if the situation called for it.

_Why would he want to try with me__? s_he questioned idly as she continued to stare at him. He slowly turned his golden orbs to hers. There was such sadness there, such a finite decision where she was concerned that she found it hard to look away.

_Try? I can… I would… I'd like to try for him…with him; I'd like to try, just once more, but only with him._

She moved slowly towards him, her long slender fingers reaching desperately. Her hand brushed over his shoulder that was closest to her and her mouth moved…whispered, "I'd…I'd like to try once more."

The hanyou gazed down at her, an astonished look on his face, but as her words floated to him in whispers of lives long past, he smiled, reached out, and pulled her to him, crushing her against his chest.

In that moment the peace that fell over him…the feeling of serenity that rose up from the pit of his stomach and wove its way through every organ and capillary of his body caused his soul to rumble soothingly.

He felt her lift her arms and wrap them around him and his smile grew as he buried his nose in her hair and inhaled strongly. She lifted her head and he lowered his, brushing his lips across hers timelessly, savoring the taste of her.

_One last try. One real try, _he thought appreciatively.

Kagome pulled away slightly only to close in again deepening their kiss as a sigh escaped her and she allowed her body to fall into his so that he was holding the both of them up.

_He's worth it, isn't he? He's worth whatever the outcome will be._

Neither would ever know this, but at that very moment a tall, lithe, white haired demon was standing at the window of his mates' hospital room holding his two new-born pups while watching their interaction with a very uncharacteristic smile on his face. And he had been watching the entire time.

As the kiss broke, Kagome sighed again and smiled up at Inuyasha, who was staring down at her with a look in his eyes that whispered promises to her that he wasn't ready to vocalize. It told her that as long as she was with him…as long as she gave this _relationship _her all, he'd do the same, and it left her feeling more than a little breathless.

"When you stop looking at me like that, it's seriously over," she declared softly.

Licking his lips, Inuyasha grinned cheekily. "I'll make sure I keep that in mind."

He was relieved, elated, and so emotionally drained from their talk and from chasing her around this massive hospital that all he wanted to do now was disappear for a few days with her. He wanted to take her-he didn't care where-and just…just make-up with her the entire time, but he knew that that wasn't a possibility, because even though this issue was resolved, per se, there was still more than a few issues that he…that they would need to attend to.

_Tonight, I'll tell her, _he decided finitely. _I have to tell her tonight._

Laying her head against his chest once more, Kagome closed her eyes and listened as his heart strummed quietly as if whispering his deepest darkest secrets to her.

"Inuyasha, so…what are we now?"

Stepping over to the hood of her car, he pulled her along so that she was standing between his legs as he leaned against the automobile. "I've never really liked those two words, you know? They just seem so juvenile and sort of childish, don't you think?"

Kagome stared up at him, a quizzical frown on her face. "What; boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"Yeah, even hearing you say them now makes me feel like I'm in high school or something," he responded, his hands resting comfortably on her hips.

Kagome tried to step back out of his grasp, but he held her in place. "So, you mean to tell me that you went through all of that, to say you wanted to be with me, but without labels?"

Grinning, Inuyasha leaned forward and kissed her on the tip of her nose. "I really don't like those two words, but for you…" He kissed her lips once, twice, three times. "I can learn to live with them…for a little while anyway."

**Until Next Time**… (Are you guys happy now? Personally, it makes me want to hurl!! Yuck!! I absolutely abhor lovey-dovey!!)

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**Next Chapter**: Unexpected Truths (It is currently in the hands of my wonderful beta!)

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**Acknowledgements:** (All other's have been sent PM's)

**Asianchickk:** Thank you so much for your wonderful review, and please thank that amazing friend of yours for turning on to this story!

**Evil_Genius27**: Thanks for your wonderful review, my friend!!

**Menaii**: I bet you weren't expecting that, were you? (lol) Thanks for your review and I hope this chapter did not disappoint you.

**Jin**: You asked if Miroku actually feels like that with regard to what he said to Kagome. Well, you're just going to have to wait and see, aren't you? (lol) Thanks for your continued reviews, my friend.

**Mythistra**: (Blushes) Wow, two times a day? I thought only I did that to stories I really like. Thanks, my new friend, for your wonderful review!!

**Nozome**: Thank you so much for your review, and please don't lose anymore sleep over this little story that's not going anywhere anytime soon.

**MBC**: You really enjoy making me blush, don't you? Thanks for your review, my friend, and don't worry, Dinshu will definitely get what's coming to him. The chapter has already been written (hint, hint).

**PrincesshXc**: Thanks for your wonderful review and 'Silly of Me' was and still is one of my all time favorite love songs!! It just says so many things about wanting and loving some one that doesn't love you back.

**Ryan45**: Wow, such insight. I'm anxious to hear what you have to say about this chapter. Thanks for your wonderful review, my new friend!!


	43. Unexpected Truths

**A/N:** As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness. Well, I've celebrated my birthday, Christmas, and the New Year, so I guess its back to the drawing board, right? (lol) I was attempting to post this chapter before the New Year, but I got more than a little side-tracked. Therefore, I decided that today would be the day!! Anyway, thanks for your outstanding patience, my friends-old and new-and I hope this chapter does not disappoint any of you. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that you all got everything your little hearts desired. Santa left me a lump of coal in my stockings, but that's okay because I had a great birthday, which lasted a total of five days! Anyway, thanks for all of your wonderful reviews, and a special thanks to my wonderful beta, Neko!!

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**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Dinshu, Nya, Nola, Dr. Aikio, Gage, and Takira. All others belong to the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi.

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_**Chapter 43:**_

_**Unexpected Truths**_

Dropping the key to the door into a bowl that Kagome kept on the table nearest the front door, Inuyasha bent down quickly and unfastened Ashton's leash releasing the dog to his own endeavors.

He sighed lightly as he watched the pup charge into the kitchen and attack the food and water that Kagome must have replenished when he'd told her that he would take the dog for a walk.

It was weird how he was so against her getting a dog at first, but now, he honestly couldn't see her or him without the pathetic animal.

A stupid thought occurred to him then, _When…If we break-up, I might have to sue for custody, huh, runt? _Mentally laughing that off since it had to be the stupidest thing in the world to even consider, _suing for shared custody of Ashton_, the hanyou quickly kicked his shoes off and set them by the door.

After they'd reluctantly parted long enough for him to go and tell Rin, Sesshomaru, and the pups he'd be back tomorrow, he met her back down by her car and they'd left to go get something to eat and finish talking, or so he thought. However, it seemed like nothing more than an impromptu make-out session, not that he minded in the least.

In-between her heated kisses and what would be considered as inappropriate public displays of affection-that he didn't fend off-he'd tried to broach the topic of Ginta again, but decided quickly against it. Because even if they were officially an item now, that really didn't mean that she wouldn't still _snap_ on him. And knowing the topic that they were going to be discussing, he figured that it would be best if he waited until they were at least behind closed doors.

Brushing off his thoughts since he honestly didn't really want to think about it, Inuyasha glanced around the darkened living room area, taking in the place slowly as if he was expecting something to be missing. Walking up to the entertainment center, he slowly eyed a few of her pictures that he'd looked at hundred times before.

One was of a nice looking, dark haired, older woman with shoulder length hair and a small smile on her face. Kagome had told him over a month or so ago, when he'd first come to her house that she was her mother. There was another picture with four young woman-including Kagome-and he knew that she said that those were her best friends back in Kyoto, but for the life of him, he just couldn't recollect what their names were.

His eyes quickly ran over the next picture, which was of a young guy about the age of 15 or 16 who was leaning on a much shorter older gentleman with silvery gray hair and he'd known at the time he'd first seen it that it was her brother, Souta whom she bought the ukulele for, and her grandfather that she'd told him about when they were in Hawaii.

Walking passed the television to the other side of the entertainment center; he stopped as his eyes fell on his favorite of all of the pictures he'd seen of her and her family.

It was a close up of her face as she stared down at something, or maybe she was thinking about something pleasant, he didn't know which. Whatever it was, she had the softest smile on her face that it almost seemed sad in a very profound sort of way. Her dark hair was cascading down over her right shoulder and her bangs were covering part of her right eye. The way her mouth turned up ever so slightly at the ends while she gazed down into oblivion made him want to find out what it was that had her so enraptured.

Reaching for the picture, he pulled it down and stared at it as if he'd be able to see the item if he took a closer look, or perhaps if he pulled it close enough, she'd whisper her secret to him. He brushed his fingers over the image's hair, across her eyes, and frowned despondently.

_Was this when you were with that idiot, Kagome? Was he the one that shot this picture? _he pondered quietly as he ran his hand over the picture again and reached up and placed it back in it's spot.

Stepping back away from the picture, he smirked as he heard the shower in the master bathroom turn on. _It doesn't matter anymore, does it? It's in the past and we'll…I'll make sure it stays there, _he declared vehemently as he turned and started down the hallway, but hesitated in his steps.

He wanted to go and join her, didn't he? He wanted to partake of a little make-up sex. Well, maybe not just a little. He wanted to go in there and make love to her. He wanted make to her shiver, and scream, to claw at his back, and his chest as she promised him her undying faithfulness.

He wanted to show her that he meant what he said, and that this really was a new beginning for them, but he knew… Deep in his heart, he knew he couldn't just go in there and make love to her like that. He knew that he couldn't truly start over with her until he told her about his fight with Ginta and some of the things that the youkai had said.

_This is not going to go over well_, he acknowledged as he glanced down at the dog that padded towards her bedroom ahead him without a care in the world. _Yeah, you little bastard, she's not going to try to chew you up and spit you out!_

He knew that this was no way to start a new relationship, but he by no means wanted to start it off with secrets and innuendos of deceit.

Okay, so maybe by him telling her, there would be no make-up sex tonight, or the next night, or the night after that, but at least his conscious would be clear and she…she would be aware of what was going on around her.

_I'm so fucking dead, _he hissed silently as he stepped into her bedroom and pulled off the long sleeved gray shirt he was wearing. Tossing it on top of Ashton, who had already made himself at home in the middle of her bed; the hanyou rolled his eyes and turned down the short hallway towards her bathroom while smoothing out the black wife-beater he tended to wear under his shirts when he wasn't working.

The scent of vanilla and rose's assaulted his nostrils causing him to inhale deeply as he stepped over the threshold to the bathroom. Steam rose up out of the glass shower that was currently so steamed up that he doubted she could see his face even if she wanted to.

She was humming something, he realized quickly. _I've never heard her hum; it's nice, _he admitted as he reached for the glass shower door and pulled it open.

Kagome spun around, dropping the soap she was using, and tried to hide herself from him, but the suds that were in her hair started dripping down into her right eye. She blinked a few times, blew at it, and tried to cover herself in order to maintain some modicum of decency as she glared at him, silently asking him what he thought he was doing.

Reaching into the shower, Inuyasha grabbed her gently by the back of her neck and pulled her head towards him, moments before he met her half way and descended on her lips.

She protested at first, but as the kiss deepened she slowly brought her hands up to his bare shoulders gripping them as if she was planning to pull him in with her.

Releasing her slowly, the hanyou quickly brushed the suds that were about to drip into her eyes out of her face as he placed one final chaste kiss to her waiting mouth.

"What was that for?" she questioned stepping back under the hot water in order to offset the cold air that was blowing in through the open shower door.

Taking her in from head to toe methodically, he replied, "Do I really need a reason?"

She stared back at him, a slow smile forming on her face as realization dawned on her. Bringing her hands up to her head; she began to work the lather through her hair slowly as she replied softly, "No, I suppose you don't." Her breasts bounced hypnotically in a circular motion as she continued to lather her hair.

The water from the shower seemed to be taunting him by the way it trailed slowly down between her breasts, over her flat stomach, down her perfectly curved hips, only to disappear into her slit…his slit.

Eyeing it hungrily, he whispered as he licked his lips, "Damn."

"You know, you can join me if you want to," she offered, a blush staining her rose colored cheeks.

Inuyasha swallowed and stepped back. "Next time. Go ahead and finish washing your hair. Besides, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about. And since you're in the shower…" Glancing around the interior of the shower, he continued, "…and you don't have anything you can break or throw at me, I figured now would be the perfect time to discuss it."

Kagome looked at him, one eyebrow quirked higher than the other, before she spoke, her voice laced with skepticism, "Oh, gods! Don't tell me… Don't tell me, you're just separated not divorced yet!"

Takahashi chuckled at the incredulity in her tone, but decided he'd snuff that thought out before it gained any real fuel. "I'm totally and completely divorced, woman. I told you within 24 hours of the wedding, the marriage was annulled. Sesshomaru made sure of it." Laughing as he stepped back and closed the door, he finished, "I think if I hadn't signed the damn papers, he would have signed them for me."

Kagome pushed the door open and peeped at him as he lowered the toilet cover and sat down. "Are you sure, Inuyasha, because I can't take being with another married man. I swear I just can't."

He glanced up at her, saw the seriousness in her eyes, and he smiled ruefully. "I would never do that to you, Wench. Trust me; it's over between me and that…that woman…Kikyo. It's just me and you, okay? Just us, that's it."

She stared at him for a moment longer as if she didn't believe him, before her frown slowly turned into a sigh of relief and she quipped with a grin, "Good, because I'd hate to have to kill you or something," as she pulled the shower door close again.

Her laughter was a soothing thing, he confessed to himself. It was a shame really…an utter shame that in the moments to come it was quite possible that that soothing sound would be replaced by more of her tears.

_I'm definitely the ultimate bastard._

That thought was enough to make the hanyou want to rethink what he knew he had to do, because he'd seen her cry one too many times in the past few days. He'd smelled the salt of her tears enough for two lifetimes. He didn't want to smell it again, not now when they…when she seemed to be really happy for once, but he knew…he knew that sometimes doing the right thing was the hardest pill to swallow.

_This is the last time. She'll cry this one last time, and then…and then I'll kill the next son of a bitch that makes her cry again…even if it's me, _he vowed as he sighed, closed his eyes, and began cautiously, "Wench?"

"Hmm," she murmured, responding to his infamous pet name for her.

"You remember that night that I came to your house unannounced?"

"Yeah, your eyes were red and you followed me around like a puppy. Why?"

Inuyasha blustered with indignation, "No…the hell I didn't follow you around like a goddamn puppy!"

Kagome giggled. "How do you know you didn't? You don't even remember how you got to my house, remember?"

Narrowing his eyes at the silhouette of the one woman that could get him heated quicker than anyone he knew, he rolled his eyes. "Doesn't really matter what I remember, I know I didn't do no shit like that!"

"Well, I was there, and I say you did, because… Well, you did," she confirmed, pushing the door open to look at him. Smiling sweetly, she spoke softly, "You know I'd never lie to you, especially about something like that, right?" Fluttering her eyelashes at him, she finished, her tone filled with sugary whip cream toppings and candy land dreams, "You do believe me, don't you?"

_What the hell have I gotten myself into, _he thought as he listened to her pour it on thick. Shaking his head since he could feel himself slowly bending to her will; ready at any moment to admit to something that he just didn't believe, Inuyasha picked up her towel off the counter and threw it at her, but she closed the door before it connected.

Her laughter filled the bathroom, the bedroom, and caused Ashton to walk into the bathroom and stretch out across the doorway. It filled his heart with so much peace that as he stared at her profile while she continued to work the soapy lather through her hair, he couldn't help but to smile and secretly declare, _If you continue to laugh like that, I'll follow you to the bowels of hell and back, Wench, just to hear it._

Shaking his thoughts off, he heard her ask, "So, what are you trying to tell me about that night, besides the fact that you followed me around like Ashton used to do?"

Inuyasha glared from her silhouette to Ashton who was looking up at him questioningly having heard his name. Deciding quite quickly that he wasn't going to follow her up, he stated, "Anyway, I told you that that night I got into a fight with someone, right?"

"Yeah, that was your excuse. Was it a lie?" she queried, her movement coming to complete stop as if she didn't want to take the chance of missing his answer.

Takahashi swallowed convulsively and cleared his throat. "No, no I didn't lie to you. I did get in a fight."

"Okay, so you're bringing this up now because, why?" she questioned in-between humming that little tune that he was starting to like the longer he heard it. "Did the guy die or something?"

"No"

"So then why are you bringing this up? Was it over your ex-wife?"

"Don't call her that and hell no!" he shouted. "I swear to the gods if that bitch was burning in an eternal fire and only my piss could put it out, I wouldn't piss on her."

Kagome ran her hand across the glass and looked at him, her eyes soft…caring. "Inuyasha-"

He cut her off, "She doesn't have anything to do with this. Anyway, the guy that I was fighting…" He swallowed looked up and met her eyes as she stared at him through the quickly fogging up glass. "I…I think you might know him. At least, he said he knew you."

She was quiet for a moment as if internalizing something. "That doesn't make sense, Dog-boy. Outside of you, Miroku, your brother, and my clients that are males, I don't know any men here."

Inuyasha stood up, shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned back against her marble counter stop so that his back was to the wall length mirror as he stared at her outline. "He wasn't from Tokyo, Kagome. He said he was from Kyoto."

He heard her gasped loudly and straighten her back as what sounded like the soap, slipped from her hands. He knew she was looking at him or what she could make out of his blurred figure, and for once he was glad that he couldn't see her and she couldn't see him.

He knew her mind must have been running a mile a minute and he wished he could help but…but he couldn't. There was nothing he could do for her at this moment accept tell her what he'd needed to tell her for sometime now.

She cleared her throat as she bent down and retrieved the soap that had fallen from her fingers. "Who…who was he?"

"He said his name was Ginta."

Inuyasha's head tilted slightly to the side as he watched her bring her hands up to her mouth in an attempt to cover the gasp that he still heard as she stepped back into the wall of the shower. At that moment something occurred to him that hadn't occurred to him before.

Sure, he was wrong to hold this information back from her, but now…now that they were in a relationship, or at the very least working towards building one, he could use this information to gauge her feelings about her ex, that prick, Kouga. He could use it to get a better understanding of how she felt about him, and hopefully determine if she still had feelings for that bastard.

Of course, he knew what a total jackass the idiot was, but she didn't-not really. All she knew was that he'd lied to her and that he'd gotten married to someone else without her knowledge.

He also knew that some women… Well, most women were complete airheads when it came to their hearts. They tended to submit themselves to insurmountable amounts of heartbreak just because they thought they loved someone. Sometime they thought that the prick that they were with, would change if they just hung in there just a little bit longer, and miraculously after being a son of a bitch for so long, he'd transform into Mr. Wonderful.

So, he could only hope that she would prove him wrong.

In a way, it may have seemed cruel, but he didn't mean for it to be that way. He just…he just couldn't take another chance after what Kikyo had done. He couldn't…he just couldn't go blindly into this, especially with that damnable ex of hers running around.

Sure, he cared for her and wanted this to work, but he had to be smarter this go round. He had to at least act like he'd learned something from his previous relationship. Otherwise, it would have truly been a waste of time.

Before he gave her his all, he had to make sure that she was over that prick and that she had no desire to venture back to that side of the fence. If she did, as hard as he knew it would be, he'd just have to let her go.

_Maybe keeping this to myself was for the best. Maybe…maybe I can use this to my benefit._

Shaking off his thoughts, he pushed back so that he was sitting on the bathroom counter. She hadn't moved from her previous position, but he figured that that was alright because what he'd just told had to have come as something of a shock.

"What was he doing here in Tokyo, Inuyasha? And how was it that you and he got in a fight?" she questioned softly as she finally pushed off of the wall and stepped back under the water.

Takahashi ran his fingers through his bangs and spared a moment to blow at them as he cogitated over exactly how much she needed know and how to tell her without it coming out sounding as crass as it had when he heard it.

He'd already decided that he was not going to tell her that her prick of an ex gave her to his friend for a night, because that was honestly something that just didn't need to be repeated, ever.

"Well, a few weeks ago when we were walking from lunch, I noticed that there was someone following us. At first I thought that whoever it was, was following me, but when I stopped by your place a few days later to drop off some food for Ashton I noticed that the same aura was hanging around outside your building."

"What?" she gasped softly.

"Anyway, that's when I realized that maybe the prick wasn't after me, but after you, so I started following him."

"You what? Why didn't you tell me this when it was happening?"

Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders offhandedly. "I didn't want to worry you until I knew what was going on." He watched her slowly begin to rinse the suds out of her hair as he continued, "Anyway, after two days of following him, I cornered him in a bar on the other side of town and-"

"That's the night you got in a fight with him. That's the night you showed up here, isn't it?" she queried almost rhetorically.

"Yeah, that's the night."

"Did…did he say why he was following me? Did…did he say how he…he found me?" she asked unsurely as she turned the water off and started squeezing the water from her wet mane.

"No, he didn't tell me exactly how he found you, but…but he did tell me that your-"

Kagome pushed the door open forcefully, cutting him off, and almost making him jump. She stared at him, and then reached down and picked up her towel that was still sitting on the floor where he'd thrown it earlier.

Quickly wrapping the towel around her, she grabbed a smaller towel off the towel rack and wrapped it around her wet mane as she started out the door of the bathroom. She stopped momentarily, but didn't turn around to face him as she responded, her tone impassive, "I…I don't want to hear anymore, Inuyasha."

One eyebrow raised higher than the other, Inuyasha stared at her retreating back wondering exactly what she was thinking. He hadn't expected this. He hadn't expected her to clam up or rather basically tell him that she wasn't interested in hearing anything else.

Sliding off the countertop, he proceeded into the room behind her. "Kagome?"

"Hmm?" she replied distantly as she rummaged through her dresser drawer for something to slip into.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you this before," he admitted honestly.

He watched her back stiffen before she retorted, "No, I'm sorry you didn't keep it to yourself. I really didn't need to know about this."

A frown marring his brow, Inuyasha stared at her as she dropped the towel that was wrapped around her body to the floor and quickly stepped into a pair of black panties. He didn't understand what was going on. Was she saying that she didn't want to know because it changed things for them, him and her? Or was she saying she didn't want to know because, well, she didn't want to know? Or…or was he just totally off target?

The sound of the drawer slamming shut and another sliding open drew him from his thoughts. He could almost see her mind working a mile a minute and he wished that he was in there with her, seeing her thoughts.

She pulled a red spaghetti strapped shirt over her head and stepped back towards the foot of the bed. "Pass me the lotion, would you?"

Glancing around at the dresser closest to him, he reached for the bottle of lotion in question and handed it to her. "Kagome, talk to me. What are you thinking?"

She smiled up at him as she took the lotion from him. Squirting a small amount in her hand, she lifted her right leg and rubbed the substance slowly into her skin. "I've never considered myself a stupid person, but it seems that when it comes to one person in particular, I'm damn near ignorant." She looked up at him a rueful smile on her face. "Why is that, Inuyasha?"

Walking over to her, he sat down on the bed next to her and offered, "I don't know, Kagome, it depends on who you're talking about?"

She looked at him, her eyes telling him that in the short time that had passed since he'd let Ginta's name slip from his lips, she'd figured out more than he expected her too. "What did he tell you?" She laughed and looked down, squirting some more lotion into her hand. "I'm sure it had to be something really bad for you to actually fight him."

_What the hell is going on? Why isn't she freaking out? Why isn't she screaming at me and calling me a liar and telling me that I used her? _

The hanyou didn't understand what was happening. He'd prepared himself for her iniquitous temper, but this… She was so calm, so reserved that he didn't know what to think about it or to make of it. It was almost as if she'd resigned herself to some fact that she wasn't letting him in on.

Applying the lotion to her right arm, Kagome began softly, "He told you about Kouga, didn't he?"

Leaning forward, his elbows balanced on his knees, Inuyasha confirmed, "Yeah, he did."

"Did he tell you that I was in love with him? Did he tell you that there was nothing that I wouldn't do for him? Did he tell you that…" She stopped and squirted some more lotion in her hand, and then continued detachedly, "Did he tell you that…" She smiled reminiscently as she finished, "Did he tell you that to me the sun rose and set because I was with Kouga?"

Inuyasha glanced at her out the corner of his eye, a frown on his face. He didn't like hearing the things she was saying, because she was telling him how much she loved the asshole, but he hoped that this was in the past.

He didn't know where she was going with this or what she was trying to get him to understand, but he knew he was not about to sit here and let her worship this bastard when he honestly didn't deserve it.

"No, he didn't tell me that. He told me that Kouga never deserved you. He told me that he used you and played with you because he knew you loved him. He told me that he wanted to tell you the truth about Kouga on countless occasions, but he was too pathetic to do so. He let Kouga play with your emotions, and he told me, to tell you, he was sorry and that for once you actually seemed happy."

"Why did he tell you all of that, Takahashi? Did you beat it out of him?" she questioned with an accusatory glare.

Inuyasha snorted as if that was the stupidest question he'd ever heard. "He thought I was your boyfriend or something. Well, that and I think he just needed to tell someone. I…I think he honestly wanted to apologize to you."

She smiled at him. It was soft and hesitant, but it was a smile and it was genuine. "It makes sense now, you know?"

"No, I don't know."

"My companies' computer getting hacked into… It kind of fits, you know. Ginta, he was always good with computers." She sighed lightly and looked away as she continued, "Ginta doesn't do anything without Kouga's say so. If he was here… If he was following me then that means that Kouga knows where I am."

"I don't know this Kouga, Kagome, but I know that Ginta wasn't here because he sent him," Inuyasha answered reassuringly. "I think the poor bastard thought that he was making everything that he'd allowed your ex to do to you, right. I think he thought he was making amends."

"If that's what he was doing by following me, then after he told you, why did you fight him, Inuyasha? Ginta has never been violent-that I know of-so why…what could he have said to you to make you fight him like you did?"

He knew the ultimate reason why he fought the demon, but by no means was he going to tell her. She didn't need to know; it wouldn't be beneficial to either of them for him to tell about that atrocity.

"I don't know, Kagome. I guess I just lost my temper."

"I saw your hands, Inuyasha; you did a little more than lose your temper."

He scoffed at that. "Yeah, well, I told you earlier that I've had feelings for you for a while now. So having heard how you were treated by that bastard… I guess, I just wanted to hurt someone behind it and Ginta just happened to be the one there."

She seemed to internalize that for a moment, but reluctantly accepted his answer in the end. Sighing, she questioned, "This is bad, isn't it?"

"It doesn't have to be, but I need to know how you feel about this? How you feel about your Ex looking for you?"

She stood from the bed with a sigh and shuffled over to the window that looked out over the city. Once again he wished that the gods had blessed him with the ability to read minds, because then she wouldn't have to speak, he'd automatically know the truth.

"If you're really asking if I still want to be with him, Inuyasha, the answer is no, I don't. I guess when you told me about Ginta following me, it should have surprised me, but it didn't-not really. Kouga, he always did stuff like this. He'd disappear out of my life for weeks, sometimes months at a time and then just magically reappear as if nothing had changed, and I'd always go along with it. I'd always run back to him."

Inuyasha swallowed and stood to his feet as she continued, "He's married. He's mated; I met his wife." She turned to face him. "Did Ginta tell you about that?"

He gnawed on his lower lip and asked the gods to forgive him for this lie as he replied, "No, he didn't."

Turning back to the window, Kagome sighed as she wrapped her arms around her scantily clad body. "The last time I saw Kouga… The last time that he and I were intimate, his wife…his mate walked in on us in bed. If she hadn't, I would probably still be in that relationship pretending that everything was fine when deep down I knew it wasn't."

Walking up behind her, Inuyasha slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her back so that her back was flush against his chest. "He's a real son of a bitch, isn't he?" he ground out rhetorically.

Rubbing her hands over his arms that were wrapped around her, she agreed detachedly, "Yeah, he is."

A moment of comfortable silence passed between them before she spoke again, "I don't know why he's looking for me or what he's hoping to accomplish if or when he finds me, but I don't want him. I don't want to see him or talk to him. I…I don't want to hear a word he has to say, and I don't want him to ever…ever touch me again." Turning in his arms, she buried her head in Inuyasha's chest, breathing in his sublet cologne as she finished in a whisper, "I just want this. I just want what I have right now, Takahashi."

Tightening his hold on her, he rested his chin on the crown of her head and sighed in relief as he stared out the window behind her. "If that's what you want, Wench, then that's the way it's going to be."

"Promise?" she questioned leaning back enough to look up at him, her eyes begging him to not lie to her…to not give her false hope.

Frowning down at her with a rueful smile on his face, he avowed, "If you let me, Kagome, I'll protect you from this bastard even if it costs me my life."

She giggled softly. "I doubt it's going to cost you your life, Inuyasha. After all, it's not like Kouga is some big bad crime boss or something. He's just a youkai that doesn't know when to leave well enough alone."

"Maybe, but sometimes the obsessed Ex's are the worst to deal with," he retorted quickly as he leaned down and kissed her lightly in the center of her forehead, and then snuggled her back into his arms.

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

"Is it done?"

Dinshu rolled his eyes, and squatted down deeper into his hiding place as he adjusted the cell phone to his ear. "That bitch is kind of hard to reach right now."

"What the fuck do you mean, hard to reach?" Kouga bit out from the other end of the phone. "You're a fucking youkai, she's human; how fucking hard could it be?"

Groaning exasperatedly, Din advised, "I staked out her place all yesterday, and even asked a couple of her neighbors about her whereabouts, but no one knew where she or her boyfriend was."

"Dumb-ass, did you try the fucking hospitals?"

"Yeah, I was just about to get to that. After I had no luck at her house, I did call around to a couple of hospitals pretending to be her brother and I was able to locate the one she was being kept at."

He heard Kouga growl in annoyance before he snapped, "So then why the fuck is she still alive? Throw her out a fucking window for all I care! Just get rid of that bitch, Din!"

"I'm fucking trying-" he started to say, but Kouga cut him off.

"Don't fucking try, Din, get the job done, damn it! In case you've forgotten, the longer this cunt-bitch is alive the more time she gets to remember small insignificant little details that could lead the police to you, and then you, dumb-fuck, that will lead them to me!"

"Yeah, don't you think, I already know that! I was at the hospital last night and today, but every time I try to get close to her, a fucking doctor or nurse appears, and that fucking boyfriend of hers doesn't leave her side!"

"You're making up fucking excuses, Din! Just toss his fucking ass out a fucking window behind her!"

"No, for once I'm being smart about this," he challenged. "I can't just run up in there all half cocked and take her out, damn it! That place is filled with cameras and fucking security guards! Some of whom are demons themselves, Kouga! So, no, I can't just run in there and just kill her; it's going to take some planning!"

"We don't have time for fucking planning, and you know it!"

"Why the hell not; because you need to get to your precious Kagome?" he added for spite since he'd been following her since she left the hospital with her _new boyfriend _in tow.

"Don't you ever say her fucking name again, Din! If you do, I swear to gods, I'll cut your fucking tongue out of your head!"

"Yeah, yeah whatever," he quipped, peeping up over the side of the rooftop and into the window in the distance that he'd been watching for the past few hours. "Kouga, have you ever thought that maybe Kagome doesn't want to be with you? Have you ever thought that maybe…just maybe she is in a relationship with someone else?"

Dinshu removed the phone from his ear and tried to muffle his laughter as he heard his boss growl and curse about what he would do to the prick that was with her or thought that he could keep him from getting what he wanted.

Placing the phone back to his ear, Dinshu heard, "…ucking bastard better not be touching her! She's mine, do you understand me? Besides, if she is with someone it's only because she doesn't know that I'm looking for her!"

"Yeah, but what if she doesn't want you?"

"Din, don't be stupid! She'll always want me," he ground out. "Matter of fact, make this the last time you even think about Kagome; just get rid of that bitch, and her boyfriend if you have to!"

The phone went dead in the wolf youkai's ear causing him to laugh as he flipped it closed and shoved it in his back pocket.

_We'll see who the dumb one is, _he thought as he peered up over the rooftop wall and at the darkened window.

What seemed to be working to his benefit was that unlike Hakkaku and Ginta, she had only met him once for about 5 minutes or less, which explained why she hadn't recognized him at the restaurant or at the hospital.

When he'd gone to the hospital to look for the woman, Sango, he hadn't expected to come face to face, literally with Kagome, but damn he was happy.

She was in tears and so broken that if it hadn't been for the tall white demon's intervention, he knew he probably could have gotten her out of there with little to no problems. What made that even worse was the demon seemed to have noticed him as well, but he didn't worry too much about that because as far as he knew, he was probably just a nosey bystander.

It wasn't until the white haired hanyou walked in that he realized that the two demons were related, brothers or something like that, so he turned and made his way quickly out of there so that the hanyou wouldn't notice him.

Then when he'd stepped into the elevator only to have her force her way in behind him, Dinshu had thought that he'd hit the jackpot. Especially when the doors closed in the hanyou's face locking him out and locking her inside with him and a few human doctors.

He was so close to her that he could've touched her hair if he wanted to. He was so close that as her scent invaded his mind he couldn't help but to think about that night, that one night that they shared, before he got mated.

She was actually the best lay he'd ever had. Her pussy tasted so much like fresh baked cinnamon rolls that he had to force himself not to gnaw at her clit. And the tightness of her womb… As he slid into her while her nails raked down his back, his chest, seeking out his head so that she could draw him down to her to kiss his lips sensuously, he found it almost impossible to not speak to her, to not tell her just how fucking good she was.

That night he'd wondered a hundred times if he'd wondered once, why Kouga would pawn such a magnificent thing off or treat her the way he did. However, as he came, as he plunged into her repeatedly, he couldn't help but to be thankful that the bastard thought so little of her.

Reaching down, he grasped his hardened dick through his pants and hissed achingly as he stared at her darkened bedroom window.

After he'd followed her out of the elevator and into the parking lot, he'd thought about snatching her then, but he could feel the hanyou's aura coming at them with such speed and voracity that all he could do was turn away and pretend that he was just a passerby.

At first he'd thought the hanyou was going to recognize him for sure from the restaurant. Thankfully, he seemed so enamored with whatever disagreement they were having that he wasn't paying attention, and for that he was more than a little glad.

Because of the hanyou's preoccupation, Dinshu followed them out of the parking lot, to the restaurant, and then back to her home, with very little interference.

Not willing to let her out of his sight if he was to find the right time to get to her, he'd known that based on where her unit was positioned he'd need to get to a rooftop. So, he'd found the perfect spot three buildings away with an ideal shot of her living room and bedroom.

_To hell with the bitch, Sango, I'll get to her when I can, but this one… I'll get to her first._

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

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_Faces… So many faces swirled around her taunting and teasing her that she couldn't make all of them out._

"_You're responsible! It's your fault," they shouted accusingly._

"_No…no, it's not! I didn't…I didn't ask for any of this!" she yelled back._

_The faces faded away, but one remained. She was so sad, tears streaming down her face. The pain she was feeling evident in every flicker of her eyes, every waver of her nostrils as she silently wept._

"_Sango, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Kagome whispered stepping towards her friend. "Please believe me, I would never-"_

_Sango's form faded and reappeared a few feet away from her. "Why didn't you help me, Kagome? I called you…I called you but you…you wouldn't answer. How…how could you let them do this to me? I thought…I thought you were my friend. I thought-"_

"_Sango, I am your friend! I…I didn't know. I…I didn't, I swear I didn't know!"_

_Sango's face disappeared to be replaced by Miroku's hatred filled face. He sneered at her venomously, forcing her to step back into the darkness behind her._

"_She says she's sorry, Sango, maybe we should forgive her," he hissed maniacally. _

"_I…am. I am sorry that this happened to her, but...but it's not my fault!"_

_If you're so sorry, Kagome," he bit out. "Take her place! Give her…us back what that bastard took from us! Give us back what you took from us!"_

"_Miroku, I wish I could! Gods, I wish I could reverse time for the both of you, but I can't, I don't know how!" she shouted back at him, begging him to understand._

_He scoffed at her, his eyes filled with hatred and rage! "I know how to make this right! Don't we boys?"_

_Kagome stepped back and screamed into the darkness as an unseen forced gripped her and slammed her to the ground. She looked around, trying to see who it was, but there was only darkness and his face, Miroku's face looming over her laughing as she felt the unseen force tug and pull at her clothing._

"_Stop it! Miroku, make them stop this!" she shouted as her heart hammered in her chest, echoing in her ears!_

"_Make them stop!" he mimicked in a whiney voice as his face barreled towards hers grinning mischievously. "Did he stop when Sango begged? Did he stop then, you bitch?"_

_Her head twisted fitfully from right to left as she felt hands, hundreds of them all over her body, touching her in places where they shouldn't have been!  
_

"_Please," she screamed, tears coming to her eyes! "I didn't have anything to do with this! I…I… Sango's my friend, my only friend, I would never!"_

_His face loomed closer so that it was a breath away and he hissed coldly, "But you did. It was your fault that she was assaulted! It's your fault that she can't have children! It's your fault that her insides were ripped to shreds like newspaper!"_

"_No…no, it wasn't!" she screamed as she felt her legs being pulled apart forcefully._

_His face pulled back, flickered between Sango's and his as their voice, both of them, hissed hatefully, "It is your fault! All of this! And now you will experience what she/I went through!"_

"No!!!" she screamed sitting up on the bed clutching at her chest, her breathing heavy and labored.

"Kagome, what's wrong," Inuyasha questioned urgently sitting up beside her.

She looked at him, her eyes searching his face quickly before she collapsed unto his tank top clad chest and started to cry softly, her fist gripping the front of his shirt.

He hadn't planned on falling asleep when she'd asked him to lay down with her for a little while, which would explain why he was still in his clothes, but he figured that that was okay because at least he was here with her.

"Kagome, what's wrong? Did you have a bad dream or something?"

"It was so real, Inuyasha," she blustered. "They… All of them, Detective Shu, Detective Lui, Yamaguchi-sama, Sango, and Miroku… All of them were yelling at me telling me that it's my fault that Sango got attacked!"

"Kagome, you know that's not true, don't you?"

She didn't answer his question as she continued, "Miroku… The things that he said to me, Inuyasha. He was so cruel! He hates me; he yelled at me and told me that if I was truly sorry I would take her place! I would let that bastard rape me in the same manner that he did to Sango!"

Inuyasha stared down at her shoulders as she sniffled and slowly began to calm down. He had known she'd think along these lines once she knew the truth, but he hadn't expected it to be quiet this bad. "It was only a dream, Kagome. I'm sure Miroku and Sango know that it's not your fault, and those damn detectives, they're paid to think people are guilty."

She shook her head vehemently and pushed up off of his chest. "No…no, at the hospital… When I went to see Sango, Miroku, he told me that it was my fault! He was so… Oh gods, Inuyasha, he was so cold to me! He said that I was just glad that it wasn't me!"

_That son of fucking bitch! How dare he? _Taking a few moments to calm his temper, Inuyasha reached for her and pulled her back so that her head was laying on his chest. While running his hand soothingly up and down her back, he advised softly, "He was just angry, Wench, he didn't mean a word of it, I'm sure."

"His eyes, Inuyasha! If you'd seen them, you would know that he meant it! He really thinks that this is my fault!"

"Nonsense," he retorted quietly as he kissed the top of her head. He didn't know what else to say to that. He was pissed that Miroku would say something like that to her, but on the other hand he could understand the man's ire too.

If something like that had happened to her or to Rin for that matter, the things he would've done and said to the person semi-responsible for her attack would have been things that he would have never been able to take back. So yeah, he could understand the man's rage, but to direct it at Kagome was crossing the proverbial line!

Kagome wiped at her eyes and sniffled as she listened to the hanyou's soothing heartbeat. How fair was it that when it seemed that her life was just coming together everything else around her was falling apart?

First, Sango get's attacked and then she finds out that Kouga might have sent Ginta here to look for her. Sure, she could've been mad at Inuyasha because he kept this from her, but she wasn't mad about that, not even a little bit, believe it or not. She was more confused than anything else.

What exactly did Kouga think would happen when he found her? Did he really expect her to forget the lies that he told her? Did he really expect her to just forget about all the tears he caused her to shed, and the manner in which he decimated her heart, and her very soul? Did he expect her to just run into his arms as if she was some desperate twit of a woman with no self-esteem, and little respect for herself?

_Not this time, Kouga. Not ever again, _she thought as she snuggled a little closer to Inuyasha and brought her arm up so that it wrapped around his mid-section. _I was a fool for you before, but I won't do it again. I…I won't…I can't do it again._

Inuyasha stared down at her as she stared off into the darkness of the room. "Kagome, do you think Kouga is capable of something like this…of attacking Sango?"

She looked up at him, a frown marring her brow. "I…I don't think so, Inuyasha. I mean he did a lot of mean spirited things to me, but he's not that horrible of a person that he'd do something like that to Sango. I just can't see him doing that. And if he did, how would that aid him in getting me back; if that's what he wants? It just doesn't make sense."

Takahashi stared down at her an empathetic look on his face. He knew that there was a very good chance that the Kouga that she knew back in Kyoto was a totally different person now, so it was quite possible that he was capable of these hideous acts.

It was also possible that maybe she didn't know the man she laid with. Based on everything that he'd been told combined with that of what he'd learned from Yamaguchi, this was more than just a coincidence regardless of whether she wanted to admit it or not.

Pushing that thought to the back of his mind, he pulled away from her, stood up as he quickly unfastened his jeans and stepped out of them. _It doesn't really matter what she believes, I'm just going to have to keep this idiot away from her, _he thought as he started towards the bathroom for his nightly piss.

As she heard him start to drain his bladder, she smiled sadly and wrapped her arms around herself as she stared out the window of her bedroom. _This isn't right; I shouldn't be finding happiness at the expense of everyone else's happiness. _

"Come on, Wench, you need to get some sleep," Inuyasha advised stepping out of the bathroom a few minutes later and over to the bed where he began to pull the covers back down on the bed. At first she didn't look like she was going to comply, but as she slowly situated herself in the middle of the mattress, he crawled in behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

Pulling her to him, Inuyasha mumbled something that she couldn't quite understand, but she smiled just the same as she snuggled a little closer to him a soft smile on her face. _Not this time, Kouga. Not this time…_

**Until Next Time**…(Your .02 cents are appreciated!!)

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**Next Chapter: **Proof Positive

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_**Acknowledgements: **__(All others have been sent PM's)_

**IdrilEledil: **Thanks for your wonderful review and Happy New Year as well!!

**Africangoddess101**: You read it in 2 hours? Wow, that's some hellafied reading you did there!! Anyway thanks for your wonderful review, my new friend.

**Menaii**: Thank you for your wonderful review and I'm not nearly as sadistic as most people seem to think I am…lol…or am I?

**Mela989898**: Personally, I hate to use unnecessary angst. It just makes it seem like the author is trying to force something, when it's really not necessary. Anyway, I hope this chapter did not disappoint you and thanks for your amazingly wonderful review!!

**Dwee**: Thank you so much for the wonderful review. However, I just want to clarify something, I never said Sango couldn't have children; Miroku simply insinuated it (grins).

**Jin**: Thanks for your wonderful review, my friend.

**MBC**: (Bows) Thank you, my friend, for your wonderful review. And, yes, you still make me blush!!

**RSV**: I'm sorry to have kept you waiting so long, but I really needed to break away from my laptop; it's kind of like an insatiable lover or something…lol. Thanks for your wonderful review, oh enthusiastic one!!

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	44. Proof Positive

**A/N:** As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness. This chapter moves pretty fast so try to keep up…lol. I'm not going to apologize for the long wait for this update, because I don't really have an excusable excuse for it except the fact that I haven't been feeling particularly motivated as of lately. I don't think it's anything to worry about, because the plot bunnies still seem to be working overtime even though I haven't really written anything in a few weeks. Oh, and this fic has been nominated once again with the IYFG for best Inu/Kag romance, Best Lemon, and Best Drama, so if you belong to the Guild make sure you vote, okay? Anyway, I don't have much else to say, so I'll thank you all for your reviews and continued support and a special thanks to my wonderful beta, Neko.

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**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Gage, Takira, Dinshu, Nya, Nola, and Dr. Aikio. All others belong to the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi.

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_**Chapter 44**_

_**Proof Positive**_

Three days, 72 hours, and 4320 minutes, had passed since Inuyasha had told her about his run in with Ginta, and still she hadn't been able to make sense of everything that he'd said.

Sure, it made sense when she thought about it in the manner a prosecuting attorney or police officer would have, had the evidence been presented before her. But her heart, the part that had loved Kouga, and in a sense still cared for him-in a friendly sort of way-wouldn't allow her to believe that he was capable of this gross atrocity against Sango.

Sure, he was a downright wretched boyfriend, but he wasn't a rapist, a burglar, or a criminal. The Kouga she knew, the wolf demon that she loved at one point in her life was arrogant, selfish, maybe even a little narcissistic, but he wasn't a rapist…he wasn't a sociopath. He just couldn't be this monster that everyone was telling her about.

Sure, maybe he did tell Ginta to locate her. Maybe somewhere within his obsessed mind he was looking for her again, but none of that meant that he would or could do this, did it?

If he wanted to contact her, to see her, wouldn't he have just contacted her family? Wouldn't he have visited them in hopes of garnering her new cell phone number? Wouldn't he have tried to reach out to Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi?

Granted, they wouldn't have given him any information, but wouldn't he have still reached out to them? And in return someone…one of them would've called and informed her of what was going on, right?

Glancing away from her living room window and down at Ashton, who was lying with his head in her lap, Kagome grimaced lightly as realization slowly dawned on her like the sun cresting in the east.

_No, they wouldn't have told me. Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi know how much he hurt me. They know what he did to me, how he betrayed me. They would never tell me if he was looking for me, because they would want to protect me. And my family… No, they felt the same way, even though I never told them what took place._

Running her fingers gently through the dog's thick black mane, she sighed despondently. _I guess I could call them. I could call and see if they heard anything from Kouga. But…but do I even want to know, _she thought as she glanced over at the bouquet of orchids that Inuyasha had, had delivered to her the day before in hopes of cheering her up.

He'd been wonderful the past few days since he'd divulged the information about Ginta to her, hadn't he? He made sure he didn't leave her alone for more than a few hours here and there during the day when he had to run into his office or when Rin demanded he pay his nephews a visit, which is where he was now.

Of course, he'd asked her if she wanted to go, but she'd politely declined by informing him that she could use the alone time, and that she honestly wasn't ready to face Rin or Sesshomaru after the spectacle she'd made of herself. He hadn't seemed like he wanted to comply, but after going with her and Ashton for walk, he'd told her that he'd be back in a few hours and they could go grab something to eat.

In a way, she was happy that he'd left, because when he was around, she felt like she was betraying him by thinking about Kouga. Of course, she wasn't thinking about him in a sexual way, but she _was_ thinking about him none the less.

As of late, he seemed to be invading her dreams, regardless of whether she was awake or asleep. He seemed to be everywhere, and certainly not in a good way.

The few times she'd walked Ashton, went to the corner store, or just out to get some fresh air on her own, she caught herself looking over her shoulders and glancing around as if she expected him to just be there waiting on her with that smile of his.

Kagome wrapped her arms around herself as a shiver ran down her spine at just the thought of something along those lines occurring.

A few months ago, before she met Inuyasha, and before she resigned herself to the fact that what she felt for Kouga was not love, the thought of him looking for her…wanting her back would've been inebriating and damn near intoxicating, but now all it did was scare the living shit out of her.

She still didn't think that he would hurt her, or that he even wanted to hurt her. However, what did scare her more than she would ever openly admit was that once she saw him again, once he smiled at her, once he touched her, she was afraid that she'd forget about Inuyasha; her only saving grace and anchor in this storm.

She'd forget that he, Kouga, had broken her heart, she'd forget that he was a mated youkai and in doing so, he'd destroyed her. And just like that, she'd wake up in his arms the following morning like she'd done so many times before; she'd fall back into his world of lies and deceit.

Standing to her feet, she wrapped her arms around herself again as she stepped over to the glass floor to ceiling windows and stared out at the darkening sky.

_No, I could…I could never do that to Inuyasha. I'm…I'm not that weak or desperate anymore. I'm not that person, _she tried to tell herself as she placed one of her palms flat against the cool glass and sighed dejectedly.

It was possible, wasn't it? It was possible that he was out there looking at this same sky. It was possible that at this very same moment in time, he was thinking about her, wanting her to come to him, wanting to find her.

_Why? Kouga, why? Why couldn't you just move one with your life?_

The sound of Ashton's low growl drew her from her thoughts, and she turned and glanced down at him before following his gaze towards the front door.

Stepping over to him, she petted him on the head, rubbed gently behind his pointed ears, and whispered, "It's okay, boy, no one's there." But he didn't stop growling, instead he leapt off the couch and charged towards the door, his growls now vicious barks, his fangs glistening, promising whoever was on the other side of the door, pain.

Kagome stared down at the barking dog, who was alternating between running towards the door and backing away. Allowing her eyes to travel down the length of the door to the crack at the bottom of it where she could see just a sliver of light from the hallway, she realized that there really was someone on the other side.

"Shsssh," she whispered as she stepped slowly towards the door not totally sure what she would, or what she hoped to find. She knew it wasn't Inuyasha, because he always called her when he was on his way back to her place, and he'd call again once he pulled into the garage so that she could open the door for him. So, whoever it was, had no reason to be at her door.

As she neared the door, Ashton's growling and barking became louder and more vicious, but she couldn't stop herself; it was as if she was being drawn to it by some unseen force.

There was a light tapping almost as if someone was rapping lightly with the tips of their nails or perhaps their claws.

She stopped, swallowed convulsively. "Who's…who's there?" she questioned nervously.

There was no answer, just the sound of that eerie tapping once more. It was so light, almost to the point that she had to wonder if she'd actually heard it all.

"Who's there?" she questioned again, this time a little louder.

The response was a sound, a slower, yet harsher version of the same tapping as if whoever was doing it, was taking their time allowing each nail of their hand to hit her door with vehement precision.

Kagome swallowed, blinked a few times and allowed her eyes to travel down the length of the door again. Whoever it was was still there, because she could still see snippets of their shadow, so she took a step back away the door.

"I swear I'll call the police if you don't leave!" she shouted, trying to keep the fear that was slowly creeping up her spine out of her voice.

"Is your alarm turned on?" the person on the other side of the door questioned in a husky, teasing voice followed by the sound of another light drumming against the door.

Kagome turned and ran to her kitchen. Grabbing the butcher's knife from her cutting block, she clutched it so tight that her knuckles turned white. Starting back towards the door, she swallowed and stepped quickly towards it, and immediately noticed for the first time that her dead bolt wasn't latched.

Twisting it quickly, she stepped back and swallowed again in an attempt to rewet her parched throat.

_This isn't happening! This…this can't be happening._

She thought she heard the person on the other side chuckle as if this was some kind of joke before he questioned again, conversationally, "Is your alarm on?"

"Get away from my door!" she screamed. "I'll call the police! I swear I will!"

He chuckled again; it was so eerie, so cold and calculating that she felt chills run up and down her spine as the hairs along the base of her neck and along her arms stood on end.

She closed her eyes briefly, swallowed, and then slowly opened her eyes again and searched the room visually looking for her cordless phone.

Picking the phone up off the end table, the blood drained away from her face, leaving her complexion a pasty white as she watched in horror as the doorknob turned slowly to the right then to the left.

_He's trying to get in! He's…he's trying-_

The petrified woman barreled towards the door, her heart hammering within her chest, her blood pulsating violently as panic gripped every inch of her body, her mind, and her soul. Slamming her body against the door in order to keep it closed should it open, she screamed, "Go away! My boyfriend will back at any second and I swear he'll kick your ass!"

"You smell almost good enough to eat, did you know that?"

Kagome swallowed, clutched the knife in her hand tighter and tried to think past Ashton's continuous barking. She'd heard him, she'd heard exactly what he'd said, and it only caused her to force more of her weight against the door as tears of fear slowly began to drain from her eyes.

"Go away. Please, please just go away," she whimpered.

"Answer the question," he repeated matter-of-factly. "Is your alarm on?" He drummed his nails against the door a few more times, and dragged what sounded like knives down the length of her door stopping at the center of her back.

She couldn't think, couldn't function as she stared down at the phone in her hand. _Alarm on? What? Why? _Not sure what he expected her to say or why he would ask such a question, Kagome yelled, "Yes! Yes! It's on!" She knew it was a lie, because she didn't have an alarm system, but she was not about to tell him that.

A loud boom echoed around her, forcing her away from the door and she turned and stared at it realizing that he'd hit the door with more force than any human should have had.

_He's a youkai! He's a fucking youkai! _

The sound echoed through her apartment again, and again, and again, and each time he struck the door, she jumped and screamed for him to stop…to leave her alone!

Just as quickly as it started, it ended and the sound of that ghostly tapping started again.

"Kagome, turn your alarm off. I don't want it going off when I kick your fucking door in," he advised her calmly.

It took a moment for her to realize that he'd used her name, but when she did, she ran to the door. "Who…who are you? How do you know me? Why are you doing this?" she screamed hysterically.

There was no answer, no drumming, no tapping, no banging, no nothing, just silence…deafening silence, because even in that brief second, Ashton had stopped his insistent barking.

Her head was spinning, her heart thrumming in her chest. None of this was making any sense! None of this, absolutely none of this was making a lick of sense to her! How could this…this person know her?

His voice wasn't familiar, but still somehow he knew her. Did he have something to with the attack on Sango? Why was he trying to break into her place? Why was he taunting her when she was more than sure that if he wanted to, he could've broken the door down already?

Kagome sighed, her body slowly relaxing as she inched up on her toes and peered through the peephole. There was nothing there, but darkness as if it was covered with something black.

_What the hell-, _she started to think, but as if a light bulb had just been turned on in the hallway, she found herself staring back at someone's powder blue iris. It was glaring at her as if taking in the color of her own orb.

She blinked, and swallowed.

He blinked and she swore he smiled seconds before he seemed to vanish from the peephole only to reappear just as quickly and begin to pound violently on the door, jarring her out of her fear induced petrifaction.

Kagome jumped back away from the door and screamed as she turned and ran down the hallway and into her room! After Ashton ran into the room behind her, she slammed the door, locking it!

Pulling on Ashton's collar, she backed up into her bathroom and locked that door as well, then made her way to the tight corner between the toilet and the shower where she slide down to the floor.

Sniffling, she wiped at her tears with the back of the hand that was still clutching the knife as she pulled her knees up to her chest.

_I need help! I need-_

Glancing down at the phone that she still held in her hand, she started dialing the first number that came to mind as she silently prayed that at any moment she would wake up and find that this was just some kind of horrific dream.

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

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Laying the pup down in his bassinet, Inuyasha slowly pulled the blanket up and laid it across Gage's back. He couldn't explain it. He'd only known the runts a few days and he already knew without a shadow of a doubt that if he needed to, he would give his life to save them.

It was the damndest thing really. How was it that two tiny beings that he couldn't hold an educated conversation with, or even really play with make him forget his troubles and make him fall head over heels in love with them?

Okay, so yeah that was a pretty gay thought, but he didn't care. These were his nephews; his ancestor's blood was running through them. They were the legacy he didn't have and hoped to one day achieve.

Walking over to the other basinet, he tucked the blanket a little tighter around Takira and watched as the pup squirmed slightly and began sucking on his little balled up fist. Smiling down at the pup, Inuyasha sighed heavily as he reached over and rubbed the back of the pup's head with the ball of his forefinger.

"Perhaps you should get your own."

Not turning around since he knew who it was, Inuyasha rolled his eyes and patted Takira's back as he replied, "Nah, I have these two. Didn't Rin tell you, they're really mine? We didn't want you to do anything crazy while she was pregnant so we decided to wait until-"

"In your dreams, Half Breed," Sesshomaru snapped impassively, cutting him off as he stepped up next to his younger brother and peered into the bassinets, his hands behind his back as if he was hiding something.

A comfortable silence fell between them and Inuyasha looked up at his brother and smirked at the proud almost invisible smile that he wore as he stared down at his sons, his first born, his legacies.

_You did good, big brother, _the hanyou thought as he reached out, patted Sesshomaru on the shoulder approvingly, and started towards the door.

"Inuyasha?"

Turning to face his brother who was still standing there looking down at Takira and Gage, Inuyasha noticed that what he was hiding behind his back was two diapers and two bottles filled with breast milk.

"Yeah?"

"Higurashi? How is she?"

"She's good, I guess."

"Did you fix her leaking problem?"

_Her leaking problem? _Inuyasha thought before he realized that he was talking about her breakdown at the hospital. "Uh, no, not really, but I'm working on it. Why?"

Sesshomaru was quiet for a long moment as Inuyasha watched him place a bottle and diaper in each of the boy's bassinets, and then just stood there staring down at the two pups as if he was guarding them from any and everything that would want to cause them harm.

"She intrigues this Sesshomaru."

Inuyasha was taken aback by his brother's admittance since Sesshomaru had never even cared a little bit about any of the women that he dated, and had definitely never inquired about any of them, with the exception of asking him if he wished Kikyo dead after the debacle of a wedding.

"Really? How much does she intrigue you?" the hanyou questioned out of curiosity.

Sesshomaru turned then, stared tellingly at his brother and started towards the chair that sat in the corner for the nursery. Picking up a remote control off the changing table, he pressed a button that turned the florescent lights off and turned on some softer red, green, and blue lights that seemed to spin around the room while a soft classical song began playing soothingly from the speakers mounted in either corner of the room.

Taking a seat in the chair, he crossed his legs and laid his head back against the high back chair as he responded nonchalantly, "She intrigues me about as much as Rin intrigues you."

Inuyasha couldn't stop the smile that played quickly over his face. His asshole of a brother was basically giving him his approval where Kagome was concerned, not that he needed it, but it meant a lot.

Granted, he didn't know where his relationship with Kagome was going to go, but it did make him feel that much better to know that he wasn't the only one that she'd won over with her erratic behavior, short temper, potty mouth, and gorgeous smile.

Sparing another moment to look at the bassinets, he eyed his brother momentarily, before he started out the door again, but paused at the sound of his brother's voice.

"Perhaps when you come back to visit, Inuyasha, you should bring Higurashi with you."

Inuyasha frowned quizzically at Sesshomaru. _Okay who the fuck are you and what have you done with my fucking brother, _the hanyou thought unwilling to believe that Sesshomaru was even going this route. The man hated people, and he despised strangers coming to his house, so for him to tell him to bring Kagome by, well that definitely spoke volumes.

"Why? My company isn't good enough?"

"It never has been, but that's beside the point. I require a lover, that is what you and Rin call it, isn't it? And I believe that Higurashi will do just fine, don't you agree? After all, wasn't it I that she sought out in her time of need?"

Inuyasha couldn't stop the low growl that slipped from the back of his throat. He knew his brother wasn't serious, but damn it, that did nothing to alleviate the jealousy he felt at just the thought of someone else touching or holding her. He couldn't be certain, but as he stared at his brother's silhouette that was hidden within the shadows of the corner that he was sitting in, the hanyou swore he saw a smile or something close to it.

"Go to hell, asshole," Inuyasha hissed through clenched teeth. He knew this was nothing more than payback for all of the times that he and Rin acted _unseemly _in front of Sesshomaru, but damn it-

"Only if Higurashi will meet me there," Sesshomaru quipped, his tone bored.

Inuyasha wanted to slam the door hard in his face, but knowing that it would wake the twins, he forewent that and instead growled baring his fangs at his brother before turning and starting down the hallway. All the while cursing under his breath about a certain son of bitch that better not bring his little chic-stick dick near his Kagome, otherwise he'd shove his foot, and then his sword so far up his ass that it would become a permanent fixture.

He could've sworn he heard a dry chuckle come from the nursery as he wove his way down the long hallway and towards the staircase, but he wasn't stupid enough to even dwell on it. Because that was one thing that his brother just did not do.

"Hey, Lover," Rin greeted cutting into his thoughts as she made her way up the stairs in his direction.

"Uh, yeah, about that," the hanyou started. "I think you're going to have to come up with a new nick-" The sound of his cell phone ringing cut him off and he reached into his back pocket and retrieved it.

Stepping up to him, Rin peered at the screen that read '#1 Wench' and asked, "Who's that?"

Inuyasha eyed her quickly, a grin in place as he leaned in and gave her a light goodbye kiss in the center of her forehead seconds before he flipped the phone open and placed it to his ear, "Miss me, Wench?"

Rin stared up at him as the color was leeched instantly from his handsome face by some unforeseen force.

"What? Wait… I can't hear you. Why is Ashton barking like that?"

Rin didn't know what the person was saying to him, but she could tell that she was yelling and crying.

"Kagome, what the fuck? Calm down! Where are you now? Did he get in?"

"Inuyasha? What's going… Is she okay?" Rin questioned urgently noticing the way his face twisted quickly from rage to fear and back again within a matter of a few milliseconds.

"Gods fuck! Stay in the bathroom and call the police! I'm getting in the car now! Call the police, and then call me back, you hear me? I want you on the phone with me the whole time, understand and don't open that fucking bathroom door for anybody!"

"Sesshomaru!" Rin called urgently as Inuyasha continued to talk to the upset young woman. A few seconds passed before he came to a stop at the top of the stairs. "Something is wrong with Kagome! Inuyasha's on the phone now with her, but something is going on that requires her to call the police!"

"I know you're scared, baby, but I need you to calm down! I need you to be brave for me, okay? I know… Kagome, I know, but I'm not going to let anything like that happen to you, I promise!"

The hanyou didn't know exactly when it happened, but all of a sudden his brother was in front him leading out the front door and toward the garage where he kept the fastest of his sports car collection.

"I know… I know you're scared, but I need you to hang up from me and call the police, and then call me right back, okay?" Inuyasha directed as he watched his brother pull out of the garage in a black Maserati GranTurismo.

"Get in," Sesshomaru ordered while pressing a button on the dash board that would open the passenger door.

Climbing in quickly, Inuyasha felt numb. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening, not now! Not like this!

"_He's at the door! He said he was going to kick the door in, Inuyasha!" _

"_He…he called me by my name!"_

"_I'm scared! I'm so scared, Inuyasha!"_

"_He's going to try to rape me, I know he is!"_

"_He's still here; I can hear him banging on the door!"_

"_Inuyasha, I'm scared! I'm so scared! I don't know what to do!"_

The hanyou shook his head and tried to fight off the feeling of trepidation that tore through him, telling him that this was not going to end well, and that he'd failed her.

He hadn't really left her in three days, and today of all days… This son of a bitch picks today of all days to show the fuck up!

Hitting his fist hard against the dashboard, Takahashi felt that part of him that he loathed rear violently forward as his fists clenched and unclenched repeatedly, begging for something or someone to tear into.

_I'm coming, Kagome, and I swear to all that is holy, I'm going to rip that mother fucker to shreds! Just hold him off! Just fucking hold him off! I'm on my way!_

Watching his brother out of the corner of his eye, Sesshomaru floored the pedal, and gunned off the private road and into traffic as he watched his brother's eyes flash repeatedly between red and gold.

_She's his mate, _he thought as he shifted the gear into overdrive. "Is she at your place or her place?" he questioned while cutting off more than few cars and zipping through several red lights and onto the highway.

"Her place," Inuyasha replied as he flipped his phone open and dialed Kagome's home number only to get a busy signal, which only caused his anger to rise even more.

_I'm going to gut that son of a bitch! I swear to the gods I will! If he fucking touches her…if he fucking lays one fucking finger on her-_

"Inuyasha, perhaps you should tell me what's going on," Sesshomaru stated in hopes of distracting the hanyou long enough to get him to calm down a little before he started ripping through the car's red leather interior. "Exactly why is Higurashi calling the police?"

Inuyasha stared at him then out the window as they passed objects that looked like nothing more than colorful blurs. Inhaling deeply a few times, he closed his eyes, tried to quiet his mind and allowed the story, Kagome's entire story-as he knew it-to flow from his lips.

_**

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**_

Simonkal of Inuy

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The time flew past. He wasn't sure if it had been 10 minutes or hours, but as soon as Sesshomaru pulled up in front of Kagome's building and parked behind an ambulance, he was out of the car, barreling through the lobby as if the demons of hell were on his heels, and into the stairwell.

Inuyasha couldn't think past her voice. He'd tried calling her back, but the line was busy all of the 500 times that he'd tried calling her back and that in itself almost made him jump out of the car and run the rest of the way to her building.

Taking the stairs seven at a time, the hanyou yanked open the stairwell door to her floor and stepped out quickly only to be greeted by more than a few cops attempting to stop him.

"Get your fucking hands off of me!" he shouted, pushing one against the far wall, and punching another one in the jaw, sending him flying as he stomped towards Kagome's open door. "What the fuck did I say? Get the fuck off of me!" he repeated, head-butting another officer, that he knew was somehow only doing his job, but he didn't care.

He needed to get to Kagome. He needed to see her, to talk to her, to hold her. He needed to make sure she was alright.

"Sir, you can't go in there!" one of the officers shouted, drawing his weapon.

"I already told you; get the fuck out of my way! My fucking woman lives here! Where the fuck is she?" he questioned angrily, his fist clenching and unclenching repeatedly.

Staring at the seething hanyou, the officer stepped back, cocked his gun, and stuttered, "That's…that's my orders, Sir. I'm not supposed to let anyone in."

Inuyasha growled and stepped towards the man his intentions to gut him where he stood for standing between him and what was his, but he paused at the feel of his brother's hand on his shoulder.

"If you do that Inuyasha, even I won't be able to save you," Sesshomaru offered stepping smoothly around him towards the young officer.

"This is fucking stupid, Sesshomaru! She's in there! She fucking needs me, and because of this pissant I can't get to her?"

"Inuyasha, do you smell any blood?"

He sniffed lightly. "No, but-"

"Can you smell her?"

He sniffed again. "Yeah, but she's afraid, Sesshomaru! She's so fucking scared!" The hanyou shook his head and stared up at his brother's back which was blocking him from the officer's view. One eyebrow quirked higher than the other, he stepped forward quickly and darted into the apartment.

Officers were all over the living room, kitchen, and in the hallway touching things that didn't belong to them, but Kagome was nowhere to be found, nor was Ashton.

The officers turned and looked at him, but he ignored them, knowing they would follow him.

"Kagome!" he called urgently as he neared the bedroom. Stepping into the room, he stopped short as he came eye to eye with a male and female detective standing by the bathroom door apparently talking softly to one another.

The female reached for her gun, but the male detective stopped her and instead bowed slightly to him. "Takahashi-sama-"

Inuyasha growled and pushed past them and towards the bathroom door. He heard Ashton growl low and he sighed, relieved, both of them were still there. Turning the knob, Inuyasha said softly after noticing that it was still locked, "Wench, I'm here. Open up!"

"Inu…yasha, is that you?" Kagome called from the other side of the door.

"Who else would it-" He didn't get to finish that sentence as the door swung open and she threw herself into his arms. The relief she was feeling was a palpable thing.

Ashton leapt up, his front paws resting on Inuyasha's right thigh as he barked happily and wagged his fury tail.

Sparing a moment to pet the dogs head and tell him what a good job he did protecting Kagome, Inuyasha quickly turned his attention back to her. Pushing her away from him, he brushed her hair away from her face, ran his hand down the sides of her neck, her back, her sides, and stared her in her eyes silently asking her if she was okay.

She shook her head vehemently, unshed tears in her eyes as she stared back up at him.

Everyone else in the room melted into oblivion as he pulled her to him and held her close. He kissed the top of her head, pulled back and kissed her forehead, the tip of her nose, both of her cheeks and descended on her lips in a heated kiss of sheer relief and thankfulness that she was unharmed.

Kagome held onto him like he was her salvation, her White Knight, and her reason for living.

The sound of someone clearing their throat caused the kiss to end, but neither party turned to look to see who it was. Instead they stared at each other, silently thanking the heavens for small blessings.

"Perhaps it would be best to give my brother and Higurashi-sama a moment to themselves," Sesshomaru offered from the doorway.

Detective Shu turned towards the older brother and bowed deeply, "Takahashi-sama, I was not expecting either of you to be here."

"Well that's why one should not expect," Sesshomaru chastised as he turned and started down the hallway. "Might someone fill me in as to what happened here?"

Starting out the room behind him, Shu stopped as Lui passed him and advised, "Higurashi-sama, we will need to talk to you before we leave."

There was no reply from either party as the younger of the Takahashi's held the woman close again.

"Inuyasha," Kagome started once the officers were gone and it was just the two of them, "He had baby blue eyes. Kouga's eyes are a darker shade of blue." She pushed away from him, stared him in the eyes, and finished, "I didn't know him. I…I didn't recognize his voice, but he knew me. He called me by my name."

Releasing her, Inuyasha walked over to the dresser where he knew she kept her sweat pants and pulled a pair of them out for her to slip into since she was only wearing an oversize sweat shirt at the moment. "Here put these on, we need to go talk to the cops."

"Did you hear me, Inuyasha? Did you hear what I said?" she questioned taking the pants from him and quickly stepping into them.

"Yeah, I heard you. I'm just…I'm just… Right now I'm just glad that you're okay," he whispered reaching out to her and pulling into his arms again. He was quiet for a long moment before he spoke again, his voice holding a seriousness that she hadn't heard before, "Whoever he is, Kagome, I am going to kill him."

"Inuyasha?"

He shook his head cutting her off. "He's fucking dead, Wench. This shit that he pulled here tonight… If I ever cross paths with him, whoever he is, he's fucking dead!" he growled.

That should've unnerved her, shouldn't it have? But it didn't. Instead it reassured her that as long as she was with him…around him, she would be safe and protected.

Kissing the top of her head, he stepped back, her fingers interlaced within his much larger ones. "Come on, let's go speak to the officers, and then I want you to get your stuff. For now and until this asshole is caught you're staying with me."

"But Inuyasha…"

"But nothing. Do you know how many laws Sesshomaru broke getting me here, and how many laws I broke between the stairwell and your bathroom? Wench, if they don't take me jail tonight, I'm one lucky bastard." Noticing her reluctance, Inuyasha stopped in the hallway and turned to her. "It'll be fine, okay. I just don't…I can't take another chance with letting this prick get to you and besides, my building is much safer than yours."

She nodded, and smiled tightly as she squeezed his hand. "Okay. I'm just glad that you got here in time."

"Why was the line busy? I was trying to call you back," he questioned absently as they continued down the hallway.

"I guess I forgot to hang up when I got off the phone with the 911 operator," Kagome offered softly.

Taking a seat on the chair in the far corner of the room, she pulled on Inuyasha's hand silently asking him to sit next to her on the armrest. As he took the seat next to her, their fingers intertwined, she quickly eyed Sesshomaru who was staring at her door quizzically while talking to the woman detective, Lui.

Looking away from him, she turned her attention to Detective Shu, who was standing a few feet away from her.

"Begin by telling us how this started," Shu began, pulling his notepad from his pocket. "Was there anything that seemed familiar about him?"

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

_Nice ride, _Din thought as he watched from the darkened alley across from Kagome's building as a black Maserati pulled up and double parked behind the ambulance that had arrived a few minutes before with the police.

Watching the white haired hanyou jump out the passenger seat and sprint through the lobby to the stairwell, he stepped back deeper into the darkness and watched as the driver side door opened slowly. The full demon from the hospital waiting room stepped out and seemed to stare directly at him, his face impassive as his head tilted questioningly to one side and his eyes narrowed slightly.

Dinshu knew he probably wasn't seeing anything since he'd made sure that the alley was pitch black by busting out the lights from the street lamps that bordered the alley and by making sure that every inch of him was covered in black with the exception of his face. He also knew that there was no wind blowing so it was not his scent that he was smelling. Therefore, if it was anything, the demon was merely going off of intuition and nothing else.

Their eyes seemed to connect for a brief moment before the demon lowered his head, shoved his hands deep within his pocket, and stepped around the car and into the lobby, only stopping long enough to whisper something to the doorman.

At that moment Dinshu took another few steps back deeper into the alley and leapt onto the roof of the building. He then made quick work of racing through the shadows of the tops of the roofs at breakneck speed and back to his previous hiding place.

"15 minutes," he mumbled staring down at his watch. "From the moment she ran deeper into her place, it took seven minutes for the police to arrive, and 15 minutes for that half-breed to arrive. Fuck, I need more time."

This was all a test he'd decided to put into action once he saw the hanyou leave, heading in the direction of the interstate. He'd had no desire to truly break into her place this time, because if he'd wanted to, with one blow, he could've knocked the door down.

The thing was, this building that she lived in was entirely too fucking busy. There was always someone coming or going, so he knew before all this that if he was to break in it would be something that had to happen in the dead of night or in the middle of the day when fewer people was around or up and about.

In the few days that he'd been watching her, he'd seen the hanyou come and go a few times, but he seemed to only leave when there was lots of movement around the building. This made it that much harder for anyone to sneak in, not to mention the damn mutt was never gone more than an hour or so it seemed.

He'd also trailed Kagome on one or two occasions when she walked that damn mutt, but the dog was so attuned to his scent that whenever he got within 20 feet of her, he'd turn and start barking or some shit causing Kagome to walk faster and pay more attention to her surroundings.

No, getting to her was not going to be easy at all; it was going to take some precise planning and patience, which was something that until now, he didn't know the meaning of.

'_Soon, Kagome, real soon. Don't you worry your pretty little head.'_

**Until Next Time… **(Your .02 cents are appreciated!!)

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Next Chapter: **A Flicker of Hope **(I was going to give you guys and excerpt here, but decided against it..lol. I will say this though, "…and the plot thickens".)

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**Acknowledgements:** (All others have been sent PM's)

**Menaii**: I just didn't really see Kagome breaking down over what Inu told her. I guess I just felt like it would be something that she dealt with more internally. Anyway, thanks for your continued reviews and I hope this chapter did not disappoint you.

**Jin**: Thanks for your review, my friend!!

**Nelly**: Thanks for reading, my new friend, and no, this story is not that old, I just update on a regular basis…lol. Thanks for your review!!

**Jossled_Jade**: Thank you so much for your wonderful review, my new friend, I hope I continue to hear from you.

**MBC**: Thank you my sadist friend for your continued reviews and all of your answers will be answered in the next two or three chapters!!

**Loulou4729**: Thank you for your wonderful review!!


	45. A Flicker of Hope

**A/N:** All characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness! **Lemon Warning!! **Alright, what is the deal with you guys? One minute you're up, the next, you're down? Damn, and people call me moody…lol!! Anyway, I'm updating early because, well, I love this chapter and just wanted to share it with you all!! It's been really nice and damn near flattering hearing from all of you new readers (keep it up, me likey), but I'm missing a few of my readers that have been with me from the beginning of time it seems, so if you're out there, drop me a line. Anyway, thanks my wonderful friends and associates for all of your outstanding reviews, and I seriously hope that you all enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!! To my gorgeous, awe inspiring, and patient beta, Neko, love you lady and thanks for your hard work and for putting up with my nonsense!!

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**Disclaimer: **I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Takira, Gage, Dinshu, Nola, Nya, and Dr. Aikio. All others belong to the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi.

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**Chapter 45:**

_**A Flicker of Hope**_

Inuyasha glanced over shoulder into the dimly lit living room where 'the girlfriend' was sitting, typing away on her laptop to God knows who. However, he didn't attempt to get up and interrupt her, because he was fine with the quiet peace that had fallen over them in the past few days since the attempted break in at her apartment.

In that time, he'd had more than a few conversations with the head detective on Sango's case, which they believed was definitely connected to Kagome's case even though she, 'the girlfriend,' still refused to believe it. He'd also explained to Nya, Rin and Sesshomaru that he and Kagome was officially an item now. He'd hired a private investigator to locate the whereabouts of one Nashitaku Kouga- of which 'the girlfriend' knew nothing about- and doubled the security in his building in hopes of keeping her safe.

Picking up his bottle of Red Strip, the hanyou chugged half of it, and reached for a cigarette as he shifted and raised his legs so that his feet were balanced on the railings of his balcony.

As much as he wanted to deny it and just settle into the comfort that she offered, he just couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Maybe it was the fact that during the police questioning when he brought up her ex-boyfriend, she was quick to defend him, or maybe it was the relief he saw in her eyes when she told him that it couldn't have been Kouga because of the color of the guy's eyes.

_She was a little too relieved, wasn't she?_

He pushed that thought away, because he knew he was about the make a mountain out of an ant pile. The truth of the matter was that had it been Kikyo that was being accused of something like this…

_Okay scratch that, I would let them crucify her fucking ass and think nothing of it, _he told himself as he took a strong pull off his cigarette.

No, there was something off about the way she acted when that bastard Kouga's name came up and as much as he didn't want to admit it, it bothered the Sam Hail out of him.

_**Flashback**_

"_Is there anything else that you want to tell us," Detective Shu asked, taking a seat on the couch closest to Kagome, but far enough away that he could see her face._

"_No, that's it. That's all that happened."_

What the hell is she doing, _Inuyasha thought as he stared at her, bewildered that she'd just avoid mentioning that prick altogether after what he'd already told her, and the fact that this prick that tried to break into her place knew her name._

"_Alright then, I'll have a copy of the report couriered to you tomorrow afternoon, and we'll be leaving a protective squad with you until you vacate the building. If I heard you correct, Takahashi-sama, she will be staying with you, is that right?"_

_Turning his attention away from Kagome, who was standing there looking relieved and a little too innocent, Inuyasha replied, "Yeah, but there's something else that she didn't tell you."_

_Kagome grabbed his arm, and whispered urgently, "Inuyasha, what you are talking about? What did I forget?"_

_Squeezing her shoulder reassuringly, he replied, "Your ex, Wench. They need to know about him."_

"_I already told you it wasn't Kouga, Takahashi. The guy had powder blue eyes."_

"_Yeah, I heard what you said, but that doesn't mean he didn't send him."_

"_Yes it does, because if Kouga knew where I was, he would've been here! He's not some kind of coward, you know!"_

_Inuyasha looked at her, his eyes narrowed slightly as his head tilted quizzically to one side as if he couldn't fathom that she'd just said that. His eyes remaining on her, he started coolly, "As I was saying, she has an ex-boyfriend that you guys should probably check out. His name is Kouga and he's from Kyoto, but that's all I really know."_

_She shot him a look that he swore would've killed if it could, but he didn't care because regardless of whether she agreed with him or not, her safety came first, he'd just deal with the repercussions later._

_Detective Shu jotted down the name, and queried, "His last name, Higurashi-sama?"_

_She crossed her arms under her full breast in a rather childish manner and actually pouted, and for a brief moment, Inuyasha found himself wanting to lay her across his knee and spank some sense into her._

"_It's not him, damn it! I already told you, I didn't know the person!"_

"_Humor us," Sesshomaru interjected seriously from somewhere near the door. _

_Kagome glanced at him, her eyes narrowed dangerously as if she was wondering exactly why the hell he was in her house, let alone speaking, but she didn't respond as she turned her attention back to her boyfriend, who was staring down at her waiting._

"_He's married, okay? He's…he's married and…" she started as she looked away from Inuyasha and back at the detective._

"_Higurashi-sama, that means absolutely nothing. Your friend was attacked, someone tried to break into your home that you believed had the intention of raping you, surely-"_

"_No!" she shouted cutting him off. "The Kouga I know would have never done anything like this! Sure, he was a piss ass boyfriend, but he's not a rapist or a burglar! He's just not!"_

_Sesshomaru stepped through the police officers standing in front of him and intoned softly, "Then humor us, Higurashi, give the detectives his last name so they can clear him of any wrong doing."_

_She stared at Sesshomaru for a long moment before she looked back up at Inuyasha, who still had his arm around her, and she sighed heavily. "You'll see that he's not involved in this, but I don't want to cause any problems with his marriage. I…I don't want him to know that this has anything to do with me, do you understand?" she stated, turning her attention back to Detective Shu._

"_Of course."_

"_His last name is Nashitaku."_

"_What kind of work does he do?" Shu questioned._

"_I don't know. I think he's a contractor or something like that, but I haven't spoken to him in almost a year."_

"_What's his wife's name?"_

"_I…I…think it's Ayame or Ayamu or something along those lines. Why is that even important?" she snapped irritably._

"_We just want to make sure that we have the right person when we speak to him," Shu answered quickly. "Do you have a number for him?"_

_Inuyasha stared down at her waiting on her answer, because if she did, he would have to wonder exactly why she still had his number after all this time. After all, when he and Kikyo broke up he did his damndest to delete her from his entire life, not to mention his cell phone._

"_No, I don't have a number for him. I changed my cell phone when we broke up and I deleted it from my phone book," she replied, and the hanyou visibly relaxed._

_Inuyasha knew he could've told the detectives that Ginta had informed him that Kouga was looking for her, but he decided against that because it would lead to a lot of questions he didn't want to answer and probably an assault charge._

_After the detective seemed to have gotten all the information he needed, he declared, "Well, we'll let you all know what we find out." Turning his attention to Inuyasha, he finished, "Takahashi-sama, there's a matter we need to deal with in regard to the assaulting of two of my officers."_

_Inuyasha glanced away from Kagome and up at Shu. "Yeah, about that-"_

"_I noticed that the current training facility is in desperate need of new equipment," Sesshomaru informed from his spot slightly behind Shu. "Perhaps on the way downstairs, you and I could discuss it?"_

_**End Flashback**_

_A couple of fucking Stairmasters, a few Elliptical machines and just like that, it's forgotten, _Inuyasha thought with a smirk as he glanced back over his shoulder at 'the girlfriend' who was so into whatever she was typing that she seemed millenniums away.

He'd taken to calling her 'the girlfriend', because, well, he absolutely loathed the juvenile labels of girlfriend and boyfriend. So when they went somewhere and he had to introduce her, or someone would ask who he was with, he'd introduce her as or say, 'the girlfriend' instead of 'my girlfriend'. Of course, Kagome didn't like it one bit, but he refused to cave on that.

Besides, Kikyo couldn't even get him to call her his girlfriend-not even by accident. She was, up and until they became engaged, just Kikyo. No more, no less. Therefore, he figured that Kagome should consider herself damn lucky that he'd even allow 'the girlfriend' to fall from his lips.

Flicking the butt of his cigarette over the ledge, the hanyou downed the rest of his beer and sat forward so that his elbows were balanced on his knees.

In the past few days that they'd been basically shacking up at his place, it had been more than cool; peaceful, and downright serene. Waking up with her in his arms, taking showers together, and just shooting the shit, but he never missed the forlorn looks that she tried so hard to hide from him from time to time.

At those times, he didn't know if it was because she missed her place or if she was thinking about that bastard, but he never asked her about it. He'd always pretend as if he hadn't seen it, in hopes that one day; he wouldn't have to wonder at all.

The sound of his cell phone ringing cut through his thoughts, and the hanyou stood to his feet, reentered the Condo, and made his way down the long hallway and into his bedroom.

"Oi," he stated after glancing at the caller id.

"He's in Tokyo."

"How long?"

"As best as I can guess, since his people are rather tight-lipped; he's been there maybe a week and a half or so, maybe more."

"Is he by himself?"

"No. He has someone by the name of Dinshu with him, but in the past two days he has requested that two of his other cronies come out that way."

Inuyasha swallowed that slowly, since he clearly remembered the name Dinshu as the guy that Kouga had passed Kagome off to as a wedding gift, but _cronies, _that word just didn't sit right with him. Normal people didn't have those.

"Cronies?"

"Yeah, Nashitaku Kouga is a wolf youkai and the head of the Kyoto Syndicate. He married the retiring head's daughter, Ayame, another wolf youkai."

"The what?" Inuyasha questioned, his face set in a deep scowl as he pushed the door to the bedroom close.

"It's like the yakuza, just not as wide spread. However, I will say that they pretty much own Kyoto."

"You're fucking kidding me, right?"

"No, I'm not and that bit of information cost me a pretty penny. The only people that know that he's the head of the syndicate are his wife, and the people that work immediately under him."

Inuyasha sighed, he hadn't expected this. An obsessed ex-boyfriend, sure, but a fucking crime syndicate boss? Well that was just… Well that was just beyond fucked up.

"Oi, did the name Higurashi Kagome, ever come up?"

"Higurashi Kagome?" the guy replied as he seemed to flip through his memory files. "Nope, sure didn't. Do you want me to do some more research on her?"

"Nah, find out where he's staying here in Tokyo."

"You're the boss."

With that, Inuyasha hung the phone up and deleted the number from his call log. _The head of a crime syndicate? What the fuck, Kagome? Who the hell is this guy and what the fuck were you doing with someone like that?_

Sitting down on the foot of the bed, the hanyou stared at his phone as his mind tried to make sense of the information that he'd just heard.

_The head of a crime syndicate would definitely be able to order a rape or two. He'd definitely be able to… _He shook his head. _But if he's the head of a syndicate and he's mated why the hell would he be running behind Kagome?_

It wasn't making any sense to him. He was sure that the head of a crime syndicate, even though illegal, held quite the prestige. Not to mention, if he was mated to another youkai, exactly what the hell was he planning on doing with Kagome? He damn sure couldn't take her as his mate! What the fuck did he want with her? It didn't make any sense!

Hanging his head forward so that it was resting on his balled up fist that was balanced on his knee, he sighed heavily and closed his eyes as he tried to tell himself that this situation really wasn't getting as fucked as it appeared to be getting.

He was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't hear the door push quietly open.

"Is it really that bad?" Kagome quipped, her hands balanced on hips.

Glancing up at her, Inuyasha smirked as he took in the loose ponytail she wore, and the way his sweatshirt that she had on seemed to swallow her. Reaching out and grabbing her, the hanyou retorted huskily, "If it was, it sure isn't now."

Kagome giggled as he pulled her down on his lap so that she was straddling his hips.

"I thought you were in there texting or IM'ing or something like that."

"I was. Why, you jealous?"

He grinned and leaned in, kissing her lightly. "Just a little. Why, you going to make it up to me?"

Kagome snaked her arms around his shoulders and smiled as she retorted, "I would love to, but I can't."

Staring at her quizzically, the hanyou asked, one eyebrow quirked higher than the other, "Why not? Do you have other plans or something?"

She shook her head and sat back, a shy smile on her face.

Inuyasha stared at her for a long moment before lightly sniffing the air around her. "Oh…that," he stated with a grimace. "You're not about to become all psychotic and bitchy are you?"

Pushing up off of him, she rolled to the side so that she was beside him, her head lying on his shoulder. "If I did, would you put me out?"

The hanyou chuckled as he reached down and pulled his tank top over his head. "Depends on how bitchy you actually get.

"I don't know, maybe I'll start breaking things, screaming profanities at you for no good reason, and my head will start spinning around."

Settling back down on the foot of the bed, Inuyasha reached back and grabbed the pillows from the head of the bed. Situating them so that he could lay down, he queried, "That bad, huh?"

"Yep, my family would always go stay at a hotel when I got my period."

Inuyasha's movements stilled as he glanced up at her, searching her face for some hint that she was lying. Finding none, he questioned unsurely, "You're fucking joking, right?"

Kagome laughed heartily and he relaxed as he watched her take the pillows from him and make quick work of stacking them before she laid down on her side, her head propped up on her raised fist. "Are you tired of me, yet?"

The unexpected seriousness in her tone caught him off guard causing him to turn and look at her. "Surprisingly, no. Why, should I be?"

Silence descended between them before she broke it as she stretched out her legs and placed her feet in his lap. "I know I'm not here, because you want me to be."

"Feh, if I didn't want you here, Wench, trust me; you wouldn't be here."

"No, that's not what I mean. I…I-"

"Wench, your ignorance is blocking us," the hanyou quipped beginning to soothingly massage one of her feet.

"My…ignorance…is blocking us? What hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're acting really dumb right now about things that you should already know the answer to."

A frown marring her brow, she queried as his fingers rolled against the ball of her foot, "Like what? I was just trying to say that I know I'm not basically living with you because you want it that way. You're doing it because you feel like you have to."

"I know what the hell _you're _trying to say, but what _you_ should know without having to be told is that should 'the girlfriend' ever need to be protected there isn't a question as to where she'll find that protection. I mean come on, its common sense, right? 'The boyfriend' protects 'the girlfriend'," Takahashi advised conversationally. "And if he had any doubts about protecting her, then maybe they shouldn't be 'the boyfriend' and 'the girlfriend'.

"So you have doubts?"

Staring at her, the hanyou blustered exasperatedly, "Once again, your ignorance is blocking us, Wench!"

"Inuyasha, I don't think I like that statement."

"Well, stop making me have to say it," he retorted in a matter of fact tone, which resulted in her pinching the shit out of his side.

"Ow, Wench, what the fuck?"

She rolled her eyes at him, but didn't respond since he should have known why she did it.

Pushing her feet out of his lap, the hanyou snapped as he turned his back to her and rubbed the little patch of skin that she'd pinched, "You know, you better be glad my mother taught me not the hit women, because I'd fuck you up for that."

Kagome giggled and reached out, catching a snippet of his back between her thumb and forefinger and twisted it roughly.

"Shit!" Takahashi bellowed, jumping up from the bed. "Stop doing that! I hate to be fucking pinched!" He figured that his annoyance with her pinching him had little to do with her and the pain associated with it, and more to do with the fact that during his earlier school years that was the type of punishment doled out by his teachers.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know it bothered you that much, but you really deserved it," Kagome offered sitting up, an apologetic smirk on her beautiful face.

"Whatever, just don't do that shit again, seriously," he advised, his tone almost a whine as he tried to reach the spot where she'd pinched him the second time.

"Come here; I'll rub it for you," she offered contritely. It didn't look like he trusted her to not pinch him again, so she added, "I promise, Dog-boy, I won't do it again…tonight."

"Never again," he corrected, glaring at her, his jeans riding low on his well chiseled hips.

"What?" Kagome questioned as she dragged her eyes up his partially clad body and spared just a little too long gazing at the way his abdomen dipped into the front of his jeans.

"You heard me! Promise me you'll never ever pinch me again, damn it! Or I swear, I'll never let you touch me again."

"You can't be serious," Kagome choked out incredulously, unable to believe that he was really this serious about a little pinch. Hell, he was Takahashi Inuyasha; pinches weren't supposed to hurt him.

"Oh, but I am," he reassured her as he took a step back his arms crossed over his bare chest and his back against the wall.

Kagome stepped quickly off the bed and jumped at him, but he dodged to the left so quickly that momentarily he appeared to have vanished and reappeared across the room.

"Inuyasha, you're my boyfriend, I can't _not_ touch you!"

"Keh, try me," he intoned from his spot near the bedroom window. He shifted the crotch of his jeans jostling his balls and just stared at her.

"You can't be serious!"

"There's still so much you need to learn about me, Wench," he advised seriously, his arms once more crossed over his bare chest.

Kagome sat back on the bed, a frown marring her brow as she stared at him unable to believe that he was actually acting like this. "Inu-"

"Kagome," he interrupted cutting her off.

"Fine, I promise I won't pinch the little whiny baby Inu ever again," she stated sarcastically.

"Good, now if you break that promise you won't like me."

"Really?"

"Test me," he challenged.

Fanning her hand dismissively, Kagome patted the bed in front of her. "I guess we all have buttons that shouldn't be pushed."

Sitting down in front of her, the hanyou hung his head as her smooth hands ran over the length of his back, massaging his muscles and the spot where she'd pinched him. He knew that whole spew he'd given her about not letting her touch him was pure bullshit, so he was damn glad that she didn't call his bluff because he figured within the hour he would've probably caved.

Moaning lightly as he melted into her touch, the hanyou queried softly, "Kagome?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you really concerned about whether I want you here or not?"

"No, well, kinda. I just don't want to be a burden to you. Especially with us just recently becoming an official couple and all. It just seems like a strain on you and our relationship."

Inuyasha cogitated over that for a few moments before he glanced over his shoulder at her and smirked. "You know, truthfully, it is kind of a burden, but I tell you what, it's the best burden I've ever had to carry. And Wench, if you try to take it from me, I swear you'll pay for it with your ass."

Kagome leaned forward, hugging him from behind. "You're seriously an asshole, aren't you?"

Inuyasha chuckled as he pulled her around so that she was sitting in his lap. "Yeah, I am, but you knew that way before you agreed to be 'the girlfriend,' didn't you?"

Laying her head in the crook of his neck as he tightened his hold on her, she smiled as she twisted one of his forelocks around her finger. "Of all the assholes that I've known, you're definitely my favorite."

Inuyasha chuckled lightly, but he didn't respond verbally. Instead, he placed a gentle kiss to the crown of her head in an attempt to let her know that her roundabout compliment was well received.

_And you're my favorite bitch, Wench._

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

He was so tired, so exhausted that half of the time he couldn't think straight. He'd tried taking naps here and there, but it was futile because as soon as he'd start to drift off, she'd wake up fighting against the darkness or screaming at the top of her lungs for someone to save her.

He didn't blame her for his exhaustion, not even a little bit, because after what she'd been through it was to be expected, wasn't it? And in return, he was expected to support her through this, to lose sleep, to be exhausted, and to be angry.

And above everything else, he was definitely angry, infuriated, and enraged.

Working in the hospital, he'd seen rape victims and their spouses come in on one too many occasions. He'd examined some of them, spoke to their family members and their significant others, and promised them that it would be okay in time. He actually told them that rape wasn't the end of the world, but not until now did he realize just how much bullshit that really was!

How was a person supposed to get over something like this? How were they supposed to forget that some fucking monster had taken advantage of the person that they'd loved and cherished?

How were they…he supposed to look into her eyes, knowing he had failed her? How the hell was he supposed ever make her believe that he would protect her when the one fucking time that she needed him, he was nowhere to be found?

No, this shit…this bull shit was not something that anyone would ever get over! This shit...

Miroku gritted his teeth and stood to his feet as he glared around the living room of his and Sango's apartment, looking for something to break or someone that he could take his anger out on, he found no one.

Stepping over to the window, he pulled back the blinds and stared out at the darkened sky, his mind racing, his heart hammering erratically within his chest.

He needed to make this right. He needed to make this…this situation disappear, but he knew that was something that could never happen, but still, he silently wished on the stars that this ordeal would just evaporate.

Miroku ran his hand down his face, and then rubbed at his eyes lethargically as images of his broken fiancé on the floor of the stairwell danced within his mind.

_I'm sorry, Sango. God's I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you, _he whispered silently as her words…the words that haunted his waking and sleeping dreams played within his mind, _"Why me? Gods, why me? Why didn't you help me? Why didn't you stop him?" _

He shook his head in an attempt to silence her voice, but it was of no use.

"_Why me? Gods, why me? Why didn't you help me? Why didn't you stop him?"_

Running his hands through his disheveled hair, Miroku turned in a slow circle, his eyes closed, the palms of his hands covering his ears as he whispered desperately, "I…I didn't know, Sango. I…I'm so sorry; I didn't know. I'm so sorry I wasn't there." His heart burned within his chest as he tried to bite back the tears that wanted to fall.

Wiping feverishly at his eyes with the backs of his hands, he began quickly pacing the length of the living room. His fists clenching and releasing repeatedly, his anger…his rage a force to be reckoned with; the desire to hurt someone for what happened to Sango a harsh thing to ignore.

"_Why me? Gods, why me? Why didn't you help me? Why didn't you stop him?" _her voice whispered in his head repeatedly.

Miroku stopped, spun around, picked up a large vase off of one of the end tables and threw it against the wall, causing it to shatter. He turned and growled furiously into the darkness surrounding him as he began throwing vicious punches into the air, trying desperately to connect with something or someone that he'd be able to make pay for this atrocity against a woman that would and could never hurt a fly!

"I hate you! I fucking hate you for what you've done!" he hissed as tears of anger poured from his eyes while he continued to combat with his unseen foe.

He hated feeling like this! He hated feeling helpless and worthless! He hated carrying around this much hate, anger, and rage! He hated the thoughts he'd been having lately! He hated, absolutely loathed, the person that this ordeal was turning him into! And he hated and despised the fact that there wasn't a damn thing that he could do to help her…help Sango when that was all he wanted to do!

Falling to his knees, he brought his hands up to his face and began to openly weep as what was left of his heart shattered within his chest. His shoulders shook as his soul quaked against the door of darkness. He didn't want to think anymore, he didn't want to feel! He didn't want… He couldn't take anymore!

He didn't want to live another day like this. He couldn't… He just couldn't live another day like this. His mind was so muddled with a million different thoughts of loss and despair that as he doubled over, his forehead hitting the floor, he could do nothing more than continue to sob and cry as if he were a mere child.

He wasn't sure how long he'd sat there on the floor of his living room, but as his tears slowly began to dwindle down the fatigue of the last week became too much to bear.

He found it hard to keep his eyes open, and almost impossible to lift his head up. So, he shifted slightly, stretching out on his side on the floor, his arms wrapped around his mid-section.

He tried to tell himself that he just needed a few minutes of sleep because Sango would be waking soon and would require his help, his attention. His mind however, wouldn't allow him to form any rational thoughts or plans; the only thing that greeted him was silence and welcomed darkness.

As he laid there, his body laden with desolation and regret, and emotionally weak, he missed the way the woman he loved stared at him, her hand covering her mouth as she tried to hold in her own pain while tears trailed down her face.

She'd heard him…she'd heard everything he said, and it only served to break her heart, because this man before her was not the loving man she adored.

He was filled so much anger, so much rage, and so much pain that he appeared to be just as broken as she was if not more so. It was because of that that she desperately wanted to reach out to him to let him know that she was there and that they would somehow get through this together, but…but she couldn't make her feet move.

She wanted to go to him, to give him the support he so desperately needed, but she didn't know how to reach him. There was something within her that just wouldn't allow her to go to him no matter how much she wanted to, or how desperately he needed her.

She wanted to go lay beside him, wrap her arms and the blanket she was holding around the both of them, and just hold him until the world was right again. But something dark and untrusting stopped her, and made her second guess herself. It caused her to second guess-if only for a moment-the love he held for her and the trust…the unfailing trust she had in him.

She knew that what happened to her was by no means his fault. She knew that he'd been with her this entire time, never leaving her side for anything.

He was there every time she closed her eyes, and whenever she awoke from one of her many nightmares and for that she was thankful and would be forever grateful. Yet still, something dark and sinister left over by that monster…that animal that had attacked her, stopped her from…from going to him…from comforting him when he needed it most.

Pulling the blanket she'd brought out of their bedroom a little tighter around her shoulders, Sango stared at his form, silently calling out to him, telling him that she was there and that eventually she would get better…they would get better.

"_I…I didn't know, Sango. I…I'm so sorry; I didn't know. I'm so sorry I wasn't there," _she heard him say again, but she knew that was only in her head. She sighed, looked down and wiped at the tears that were trailing down her face.

"Miroku," she whispered softly. "I don't blame you. I…I could never blame you. I know if you were there…" She sniffled quietly, wiped at her nose with the back of her hand and finished sadly, "I know you tried to get there, and that's all that matters, my love."

He moved slightly and she shrunk back into the darkness of the hallway so that he wouldn't be able to see her.

In that moment she felt stupid and a little childish even. She was hiding. She was hiding from the one man that had never judged her or expected her to be anymore than she was. She was hiding and damn near running from the only man she'd ever loved and would ever love.

Wiping at her eyes again, she stared down at the trace wetness that covered her trembling hands. _I'm better than this. I'm…I'm stronger than this. I…I have to be stronger than this_, she told herself as she looked back up at his silhouette that was curled up in the fetal position on the floor near the coffee table in their living room.

Stepping back until her back pressed up against the wall of the hallway, she slowly slid down to the floor as she decided finitely that she wouldn't leave him…she would not return to their bed tonight.

He'd watched over her for hours on end without sleeping. He'd taken care of her when she needed him most, and made sure that he was always there to chase away the worst of her nightmares. And because of that… Because of her, she knew he was beyond exhausted. So tonight, for as long as he slept, she promised herself that she would watch over him-if only from a distance.

Sitting back, she squared her shoulders and inhaled deeply as she stared around the dark room. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, she laid her head against her raised knees and eyed his still form as she intoned softly, "I love you, Miroku, I always have and I always will."

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

Staring down at the beach that sat just below the balcony off the expansive living room of her oceanfront home, she smiled sadly as she watched the waves roll in swiftly only to slowly trickle back out into the sea before her.

How many nights and days did she come out here in order to find a few moments of peace away from a world of deceit and lies…a world that she had somehow found a home in?

How many times had she found herself standing out here staring into the ocean only to see him staring back at her, his eyes swimming with unshed tears, his heart in his hands asking her silently, _"Why? Why did she leave him? Why did she lead him on only to decimate his soul…his very being?"_

How many times had she glanced up and down the beach below only to catch a glimpse of white and for a brief instance believe that he had found her? And in that instance, how often had her heart leapt with joy only to have it instantly replaced with dread and grief?

Gripping the polished stainless steel railing of the balcony, she sighed and narrowed her eyes as she imagined him walking out of the sea before her, his arms wide open beckoning her to him, his heart filled with forgiveness. She smiled sadly because she knew, like the million times that she had imagined that before; it was nothing more than a whimsical delusion of fools.

She'd crushed him, and made it so that he hated and despised her very existence.

He'd loved her with everything that he had in him, she knew that. He'd worshipped the ground she'd walked on and everyday that she spent with him, he made sure she understood that. He'd given her everything that she'd ever wanted, ever dreamed of and she…she took that unconditional love, that adoration, that…that…

She took all of that and threw it back in his face because she…because love just wasn't part of the plan…her plan…their plan.

She closed her eyes against the salty breeze and micro-grains of sand blowing around her as she reached up and pushed her jet black tresses back behind her ear.

She was good at what she did and had been for years until…until she forgot why she was with him to begin with…until she started regretting her decision to make him a pawn…until…until, he asked her to marry him and she foolishly said yes.

The sound of the front door opening and closing drew her from her musings and she quickly pushed her thoughts of him back into the dark recesses of her mind and wiped at her face. Inhaling deeply, she slowly exhaled as strong arms snaked slowly around her tiny waist.

"Out here again?"

She didn't deign to answer that, because the answer was apparent, was it not?

He smoothed her hair away from her right temple and placed a chaste kiss to her warm skin. "You know if I didn't know any better, I would think that you were depressed."

"Don't be silly. What reason would I have to be depressed, Oni?"

He pulled her back so that she was flush against him as he replied knowingly, "Oh, I don't know, maybe you're still missing your hanyou?"

She swallowed, and then giggled in an attempt to pretend as if he was off target. "Miss him? Isn't the first rule of what we do, not to get attached?"

"Indeed it is, but you…you forgot that didn't you?" he replied cryptically. "It's been almost a year and still you are not back to your usual self."

She ignored the second part of his statement and retorted softly, "I've told you a million times that I only said yes, because I thought he would give me access to his bank accounts." Running her manicured nails through the fine hairs on her companion's arms, she finished, "If it wasn't for his brother, and that damn secretary, he would have too."

She could feel him staring down at her, looking for some sign that she was lying, so she made sure to remain impassive and as uncaring as possible, as not raise his ire with regard to the current topic.

"I suppose it doesn't matter now, does it? I got you out of there before you could really fuck up, didn't I? After all, how would it look for my wife to be known as a polygamist?"

She closed her eyes to that statement. _Would it have really been so bad to have just left me with him? _As quickly as that thought came, she pushed it away.

"I have absolutely no problem sharing your body if the end result is worth it, dear heart, but your heart, and your mind…your dreams belong to me, don't they?" he questioned, his arms slipping slowly down to her hips.

She closed her eyes and melted into his touch, silently wishing that these hands, these arms, and the voice belonged to a person…a man…a hanyou that was more than an ocean away, never to be reached or seen again.

"Of course, Oni, my body is merely a tool, but my heart and my soul, my dreams are things only you shall own," she whispered, hoping that he wouldn't be able to see the deception in her words.

His arms snaked around her waist once more as he leaned in and whispered, "Is that a promise, Luscious?"

How she hated that pet name, but since the day she married him, he decided that if she were going play with men's feelings and if they were to call her Kikyo, he should have a name only for him. "Always, Oni."

"Luscious," he started, his cool hand slipping up under her linen shirt, "how would you feel about going back…seeing him again?"

Her breath hitched in her throat as he found her nipple and tenderly squeezed it. "Go…going back? Why? We…we got enough money out of him didn't we?" she questioned as a soft moan escaped her and her chest arched forward into his waiting hand.

Spinning her around so that she was facing him, he lifted her effortlessly and sat her on the top railing. Stepping between her legs, he pushed them apart so that they were open wide.

"Of all the pawns that we've had, he was the most lucrative one, wasn't he?" he questioned softly nibbling on her right ear, while his nimble fingers traversed the distance down to the insides of her trembling thighs.

She gripped the railing steadying herself as she tried to wrap her mind around what he was trying to say, but all she could feel was his hands, his fingers pushing the seat of her panties aside seconds before they started dancing within her wetness.

"He loved you?" Oni whispered as he leaned in and kissed the corner of her mouth lightly.

She leaned back, arching towards him as one of his fingers slipped into her, but he was no longer the one she saw, his hands were no longer that of a human man; they had claws. All of a sudden his hair was unruly and white, hanging down pass the middle of his back nearly touching his buttocks, his eyes the color of molten gold, his skin golden bronze, and his body…his chest, the work of the gods themselves.

"Yes," she hissed breathlessly. "He…he loved me."

He slipped another finger into her as he watched her close her eyes and her head fall back, her waist length hair flowing out behind her. His eyes narrowed sadistically as he reached down and unfastened the buckle of his jeans. "Regardless of your reason for leaving him, he would forgive you, wouldn't he? He'd take you back, right?"

She swallowed convulsively as her heated core sucked hungrily against his digits. "You said we were done with him. You…you said-"

Pulling his fingers out of her slowly, he reached into his back pocket and retrieved a condom, which in the line of work that they were both in, they couldn't afford not use. After all, swindling a youkai out of their money would be rather hard to do if one smelled like a defiled whore.

"I know what I said, but the money is starting to run low," he advised, pulling her down off the rail and spinning her around so that she was facing the ocean again.

_Seeing Inuyasha again? What would I say? What could I say? Would he forgive me? Would he be that naïve to give me a second chance to rob him blind?_she wondered as her husband pushed her top half further over the railing and plowed into her from behind, causing her to gasp and grip the railing. Her eyes closed slowly as he once again became the man whose heart she'd cruelly broken.

He pulled half way out of her only to plow back into her again. One of his hands was gripping the railing to the right of her while the other hand found its way into the roots of her hair. Pulling back, but not roughly enough to hurt her, he hissed, "Don't you want to fuck him again?"

She didn't answer as she bucked against him taking what he gave her, all the while imagining that it was him…Inuyasha, the man that had made her care about him, about things, and regret the life altering decisions she'd made before she even knew he existed.

He undulated up into her slowly, digging in deep as he leaned forward so that his back was flush against hers. "You dream about fucking him, don't you?" he whispered in her ear.

She reached back and palmed his ass trying to force him in deeper as she gyrated back on his pulsating staff, but she still didn't answer him.

"Did he fuck you like this, Luscious? Did he make you scream for mercy? Did he make your fat wet pussy call his name?" he questioned tactlessly as he pushed back and pumped into her with fervor as his end summoned him forward.

She held her own, pushed back against him, gritted her teeth, and bit down on her lower lip as she silently screamed, _Yes, gods, yes, he did! _But verbally his only answer was a low moan as her walls began to trembling around his member letting him know that she was almost there…almost at her breaking point.

He gripped her hips, pulled her legs up off the ground so that they were wrapped around his thighs, and continued to take long deep strokes, repeatedly burying himself into her as his head swam with pictures of her fucking the white haired hanyou that he knew she still lusted after.

"Tell me, Kikyo, do you want to fuck him again; one last time? Do you want to give him another chance to make you cum?" he purred softly, sadistically.

And she bit down on her lip, telling herself that she wasn't going to answer that question, not now, not ever. But as the gates opened…as the ties that held her sanity together loosened… As images of a man that she wasn't supposed to love danced before her closed eyes… As she imagined that it was him plowing into her, making her beg for more, making her plead with him to stop teasing her, she screamed as her body trembled and quaked while undulating back against her husband's, "Yes, yes, yes, yes one more time! Gods, one more time!"

_I knew it. _Oni smiled as he took a few more hard pumps into her before his semen burst free, leaving him breathless and leaning heavily on her back. After taking a few silent moments to allow himself a chance to calm down, he pushed up off of her, staggered over to the patio chair, and sat down after halfway pulling up his Doce Sanara jeans.

Straightening her skirt, Kikyo sighed lightly and turned to him. "This isn't going to work. He'll never trust me."

"Why not?"

"Onigumo, I hurt him, and you know men don't forgive easily. I married him and left him that same night!"

"Please, that wasn't a wedding that was a four ring circus; I'm just upset that I didn't hang around to see the look on his face after you told him. Besides, you were already fucking married, or did you forget that?"

She rolled her eyes. Of course, she hadn't forgotten, but for a while she truly had wanted to. "This will never work," she mumbled more to herself than to him.

He smirked at her as he reached down, pulled the condom off and tossed it in the waste basket in the far corner of the patio. "You don't give that pussy of yours enough credit," he started. "Just trust me, if you get him in the right position to remember how wet, hot, and sweet your cunt is, he won't be able to tell you no."

She frowned and turned away. _Why does he have to be so damn crude! _A few minutes passed before she heard him slide back from the table and walk over to her.

Slipping his arms around her waist once more, he offered reassuringly, "I tell you what. This time I'll go with you. I'll work it out so that all you'll need to do is get his information, and I'll do the rest. How's that sound?"

"You're not hearing me," she gritted out between clenched teeth. "I don't want to hurt him again. I… You didn't see his face when I told him-"

"No, Kikyo, I don't think you're hearing me!" he growled agitatedly. "You didn't do the job right the first fucking time, so it's only fair that you go back and fix it! And this fucking time, I'll be there to remind you that you already have a fucking husband!"

She lowered her head despondently and sighed. "Can't we just find another target? There are hundreds of lonely rich men out there."

"True, but he's the 3rd richest man in world and only second to his brother and that gay Microsoft freak. Besides, you already have an _in_ with him, do you really want to start all over?"

"Oni, it's not right. I-"

"Since when did you care about what's right," he snapped. "You sure didn't seem to care when we were buying this monstrosity of a house, or any of the 7 fucking cars we have parked in that fucking garage!" Smacking her upside her head with his open palm, he finished, "So don't act like you have a fucking conscious now! Hell, you're trifling ass was doing this way before I met you, so please save me the self righteous act!"

Kikyo had no response for that. Instead she reached up and rubbed lightly at the spot where he'd hit her. It didn't hurt, but she knew a little too well how much his hits could hurt if he wanted them too.

Turning her to face him, he lifted her chin so that she was looking at him. "If you do this right, we won't have to ever do this again, okay?" Not waiting for a response from her, he pulled her to him and continued as he ran his fingers through her hair soothingly, "Besides, I've already started working on a story for you to use. You know, to gain some sympathy from him…when you go back?"

"Wha…what?"

"Those credit cards you were hiding in your bottom draw; the ones with your name changed to Takahashi Kikyo…"

She pushed back away from him, knowing that he'd caught her in a lie, because she'd told him that she'd destroyed them before they left Tokyo. She honestly hadn't meant to lie to him, she just wanted to keep them as a reminder of the one time that she'd truly felt like she'd been loved.

"Oni, I-"

"I don't need any of your excuses, Luscious, I just need you to do this one last trick for me, and that will be apology enough for your betrayal." He smiled down at her, lightly kissed her forehead and questioned seductively, "Can you do that for me, Luscious? Can you be a good wife and do your husband this one favor?"

She sighed heavily. There was no way out of this, was there? But at least she would be able to see him, touch him, and hold him one last time. Closing her eyes, she pushed her feelings aside and sighed again before responding sullenly, "Okay, what's your plan?"

**Until Next Time…**(Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated!!)

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**A/A/N:** Umm, yeah, the bitch…I mean Kikyo is back…lol.

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**Next Chapter:** Open Doors

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**Acknowledgements:** (All others have been sent PM's)

**Jossled_Jade:** Is she ever going to talk to her family? Well, talk to them about what? Kouga? I don't know, you'll just have to wait and see…lol. Thanks for your review, my friend!!

**Wolfie:** I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you that badly, but it lets me know that I'm doing something right. Thanks for your wonderful review, my new friend.

**Jin:** Lol, yep it was all a test! That damn Dinshu, he needs to get his head out his head and do the damn thing! (lol) Thanks for your review!!


	46. Open Doors

**A/N:** As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness. I have been most honored in the past few days by the wonderful Menaii, who on her sick bed drew a wonderful rendition of one of the scenes from the last chapter. Personally, I love it, because it's beautifully drawn and the feelings in the characters were brilliantly captured. Not to mention, I've never-ever had anyone honor me in such a way. Thank you so much Menaii, and the rest of you should definitely go check it out!! There's a link to it on my profile page on , and on , you all will find a link if you got back to chapter 45. Now that that's done, I want to thank you all for your wonderful patience and support; you guys have all been totally fantastic!! And a special thanks to my wonderful awe inspiring beta, Neko, for her continuous hard work on each and every one of my chapters. Oh, and if you belong to the IYFG make sure you get out and vote, kay? Kay!! Now that we understand each other, on to the chapter!!

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**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, Nola, Takira, Gage, Dr. Aikio, Maki, Moki, and Dinshu. All others belong to the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi.

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**Chapter 46:**

_**Open Doors**_

_The street to the left and right of where he stood was barren of any other people, and the ground was slick as if it had just rained, but as he glanced down at his clothing, he noticed that he was dry as a bone. So, it caused him to wonder how the hell he'd gotten to this place._

Okay, you've had weirder dreams, Inuyasha, _he told himself as he turned and started slowly in the opposite direction of the very noticeable dead end to his left._

_Taking notice of the flickering neon signs that hung over a few of the establishments, he knew wherever he was; it was not a reputable part of any town. _

_The sound of a door opening and closing accompanied by a laughter that he'd recognize in a crowd of a million laughing people brought him to a stop, and he stared around him looking for her, but the street was still just as vacant as it was before._

_Shaking his head, the hanyou shoved his hands in his pockets and started walking again, his head down as he watched the wet dark street pass below his feet._

"_Come on, Dog-boy. Let's go, or we'll miss it," her voice whispered around him and Inuyasha stopped, looked up and down the street, and strained his hearing to see if he could pinpoint her location. The only thing that greeted him was silence and the soft buzzing of the flickering neon signs around him._

_As he started to move forward again, the voice came back, "You don't want to miss it, do you? Well, come on!"_

"_Where are you?" he called into the starless sky above him, but his only answer was the shutting of another door. Glancing around him, he shook his head in an attempt to make sense of what was going on._

_He heard her giggle again and he looked up and to the right._

_There she was a few doors in front of him, her hair blowing in a breeze that he couldn't feel, a beautiful smile on her face as she waved him forward. He smiled back at her as he took in the elegant, traditional style kimono she wore that was a little too similar to something that he'd seen his mother wear before._

_She was so beautiful, so happy that just looking at her, made a resounding pulse rattle through his being as he took a step towards her._

_She laughed and vanished from where she stood only to reappear a few feet further down the street._

"_Kagome, wait up!" he called as his gait quickened to that of a slow trot._

_She giggled again and turned, running further down the street as if they were playing a game of cat and mouse. He watched as she reached down and lifted the hem of the kimono so that it wouldn't get wet and he tried to use that moment to catch her, but once again she vanished and reappeared further down the block._

"_Oi, how the hell am I supposed to catch you if you keep doing that?" he questioned playfully._

_She stopped then, turned and stared at him, a soft smile on her face as she released the hem of her skirt._

_Stopping, he stared back at her quizzically. The smile on her face seemed almost apologetic, didn't it? It was almost as if she wasn't really looking at him at all, but through him. _

_The hanyou swallowed convulsively. He could feel it, couldn't he? Someone was standing behind him, staring through him and that was the person she was talking to…the person she was calling to come follow her._

_Everything in him told him not to look back, because some things were best left unknown, but he had to know, he had to see this person, this…this…_

_He spared another moment to look at her as she raised her hand, holding it out for someone to take, but he knew without having to be told that it wasn't him she was reaching out to._

"_Kagome," he whispered as he tried to take another step towards her in order to ask her what the hell she thought she was doing, but quickly found that his feet seemed to be cemented to the spot._

_She blinked slowly, her eyes glistening with adoration, devotion, and a warmth that he'd never felt in his life, and then she whispered tenderly; "Come on, Takahashi, everyone's waiting. We can't keep them waiting forever, can we?"_

That's me! That's me! She's calling to me, but why…why does it feel like it's not me she's talking to me, _the hanyou thought desperately as the person behind him seemed to draw closer. He didn't know how he knew that, but he could feel it in the inner recesses of his body._

_Inuyasha swallowed, spared another second to stare at the woman before him, before he slowly twisted his body so that he could look behind him. He gasped heavily and tried to step back, but that only caused him to fall to his butt on the wet cement, because his feet still wouldn't move._

_There before him was a copy of himself dressed in a red hakama and haori similar to that of which he and his brother practiced in. His eyes though, weren't gold; they were as red as blood dripping from a warm body, his fangs hung from his mouth like sharpened ice picks, his cheeks bore burgundy jagged streaks, and his claws were grotesquely long as if someone had broken off the tips of steak knives and stuck them into his nail beds._

_The hanyou shook his head and stared up at the…the demon that continued slowly towards him, his arms down at his sides, his red pools focused intently on her, on Kagome._

_Inuyasha panicked, stood quickly to his feet and shouted urgently, "Run, Kagome, don't just fucking stand there, run!!" Turning his attention back to the demon that was much too close, he reached out to grab him in an attempt to keep him away from her, but his hands went straight through him as if he was a ghost, a figment of his imagination, or an enigma of some form._

"_Who the fuck are you?" he questioned frantically, not willing to believe that in his own dreams this was even possible. _

_The demon stopped directly beside him, his face unreadable. He blinked, continued to stare ahead of him at Kagome as she continued to call to him._

_The hanyou didn't know exactly when it happened, but all of sudden his replica was staring at him as if reading his thoughts, his past, and his future. There was such a confidence within him that it caused the hanyou to want to step back and this time his feet moved._

_The imitation's head tilted quizzically to the right and then to the left, and then he spoke, his voice harsh, husky, and downright animalistic, "Your ignorance…is blocking us."_

_Inuyasha blinked and allowed those words to twist through his mind before he looked back up and noticed that his replica was no longer before him. Instead, he was standing in front Kagome, his back to her as if he was protecting her from something or someone._

_Takahashi stepped slowly towards them, unable to comprehend the meaning of exactly what this all meant. _

"_Kagome!"_

_She peeped from behind his replica, snaked her arms around his waist and leaned on him as she smiled sincerely at him, causing his heart to break. She glanced up at the demon, and then over at him and stated softly, "I love him, Dog-boy."_

"_You don't love him, damn it! You love me! Kagome, you love me!" he shouted desperately. "I know you love me!"_

"_Do I?" she questioned earnestly as she interlaced her hand with that of the demon that hadn't taken his eyes off him once since reaching her._

"_Yes, yes, you do! You have to love me! You… Damn it, Kagome, don't go with him!" he screamed as he watched them turn and start to leave, headed in the direction of a light that made him want to cover his eyes._

_A cold hand wrapped around his, drawing his attention away from Kagome, and he glanced down agitatedly. _

What the fuck? Not now! Not fucking now!!

"_Let them go, Inuyasha. You'll always have me."_

_The hanyou tried to jerk his hand away from her, but she held steadfast to him. _

"_Kik…Kikyo?" _

_She was standing there, a sad smile on her face, looking exactly as he'd remembered her almost a year ago; including the damned wedding dress he now despised!_

"_I'm here, I'm here for you. Let her go. She'd never love you the way I do."_

_Inuyasha glared down at her and snapped, "Love me? You love me? You psychotic bitch, you don't know what the meaning of love is!!"_

"_I've always loved you, don't you know that?" she replied sweetly as if he hadn't just yelled at her._

_He shook his head, tried again to pull his hand away from her, and stared up at Kagome and the demon that had taken his form as they walked further and further away from him._

Kagome, don't leave with him, _he thought desperately. _He's not me! He's not me!

_Staring down at the spot where their hands met, Inuyasha watched as a black substance that seemed vile and sickening began to seep through covering his knuckles, and inching slowly towards his wrist. _

_A platinum wedding band appeared on his ring finger causing a burning sensation to rip through his body. He pushed violently against Kikyo, trying to get her to release him, to let him go, but the more he tried, the stronger she held on._

"_I'm your wife, Inuyasha. You belong with me. You belong to me."_

_He stared down at her, his eyes riddled with anger and disbelief! This wasn't happening! This was just a dream; it had to be! It had to be just a fucking dream! _

_The hanyou screamed as he looked away from Kikyo and at the silhouette of the woman that he desperately wanted…needed to reach, "Kagome!!" _

"_There are no such things as happy endings, Inuyasha," Kikyo whispered. "Come, it's time to go; we've waited long enough to begin our lives haven't we?"_

"_No, no, no! Get the fuck away from me!" he screamed apprehensively, his head shaking from right to left as his feet started moving of it's own accord towards her. "Kikyo, let go of me! Kagome needs me! Let fucking go! She… Fuck! Shit!"_

_He looked up having felt a pair of eyes on him and watched as Kagome stood there as if she'd never left, her arms out to him, calling him to her, her eyes sad and downtrodden._

She didn't leave! She came back, _he thought as his attention turned to the demon standing behind her. His head was down, a snarl on his face as he looked past him and at Kikyo._

_Inuyasha blinked and swallowed convulsively._

_The demon blinked as his knuckles loudly cracked in the silence that surrounding the four of them._

_Kagome began to weep softly as she stared at him, her heart breaking more with every second that passed by._

_Inuyasha stepped towards Kagome, his free hand urgently reaching out to her._

_Kikyo tugged at his other hand, trying desperately to pull him in the other direction._

_The replica's nostrils flared seconds before a vicious snarl escaped him, and he charged ferociously in Inuyasha's direction, causing the hanyou to duck and cover his head as the weight of the person holding his left hand evaporated._

The hanyou sat up, his eyes wide, his heart hammering in his chest as he stared around his bedroom, his breathing heavy and labored.

He closed his eyes, tried to slow his heart beat and whispered, "How fucked is that?"

"How fucked up was it?"

His head snapped to side connecting with Kagome's sleep filled eyes. "What?"

"You were screaming my name in your sleep. I tried to wake you, but you just kept screaming for me."

"I don't talk in my sleep, Wench."

"I didn't say you were talking," she replied as she leaned back away from him. "You were screaming like I was in danger or something."

He watched her for a few moments, knowing she was more than likely telling the truth. "I'm sorry about that," he offered softly.

Settling back down in the bed so that he was half sitting up, he reached for her and pulled her down to him. As he held her tight to his side, he tried to tell himself that it was just a dream and that no one-Kikyo nor a fabricated demon-would come between them.

Closing his eyes, he stated, "Kagome, if I ever tell you to run, promise me you'll run."

She was quiet for a moment before she responded, "I can't promise you that, Inuyasha. Because if you tell me to run from you, I honestly don't know if I could that."

_She loves…_me_, _he thought sullenly as images of his demon replica danced before his eyes taunting him. _"Your ignorance…is blocking us," _he heard the demon say, repeating the same words he'd said to Kagome a few hours earlier.

_My ignorance is blocking us, _he repeated silently while glancing down at her as he ran his hand down her bare arm and over the chill bumps coating her skin. Pulling the cover up just a little, he sighed. _My ignorance is blocking us… What the hell is that supposed to mean?_

Shaking his head, since he honestly didn't want to give a silly dream that much power; he pulled her closer and kissed the crown of her head as he closed his eyes and pretended to dose off.

_**

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**_

Simonkal of Inuy

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Kouga closed his eyes against the cool night breeze twisting around him. He hadn't expected for this little task to become such a big fucking deal, but he figured when he was dealing with back stabbing pricks and the like; it was to be expected.

Staring up at the apartment building, he narrowed his eyes and wondered for the millionth time just how the hell Din thought he'd be able to keep this information from him.

"Are you sure this is the place?" he questioned the bat youkai, Moki, who he'd contracted to track Dinshu since a few days after the mockery of a rape had occurred.

"Yes, this is it."

"Do you remember the apartment number he went to?"

"Yes, 2325, but he didn't go in. He just talked through the door, and a few minutes later the place was flooded with police officers."

"Really?" Kouga questioned, a slow smile stretching over his face. _That fucking Dinshu. _"Who lives at this address?"

Moki looked at him knowingly, but didn't reply as he stared up at the building, his pitch black eyes narrowed slightly.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, Kouga leaned back against his rental car as he took his time glancing up and down the dark street. "Has he been here since then?"

"No, he's been at a location across town."

Kouga thumbed at his chin, his mind working a mile a minute in an attempt to come up with a plan of sorts to beat Dinshu at his own game.

Of all the people that he had working for him, he never would've thought that Dinshu would've been smart enough to pull the wool over his eyes with regard to Kagome, but it appeared that that was exactly what he'd done.

The fucker had been apparently tailing Kagome for only God knows how long, while calling in and reporting that he was still tailing that lying bitch, Sango. All the while throwing in little snide remarks about how Kagome probably didn't want him or that perhaps she had moved on with her life and found a new man.

He figured he should've known something was up, because the damned bastard just seemed to have a little too much insight into things he wasn't supposed to know about.

"And your brother, Maki, has been keeping watch over there, right?"

"Yes, he says that all Dinshu has been doing is sitting on the roof of one building staring aimlessly at a building across the way."

"Do you have the address of the building he's been…staring at?"

"Yes." The bat demon reached into his coat pocket and retrieved a torn piece of paper before handing it to Kouga. "Maki said the place is heavily guarded. The only people that are allowed in the building without being escorted are the actual residents who can show two forms of id."

Taking it from him, Kouga stared down at it before shoving it in his pocket. _That fucking Dinshu. I guess I didn't give him enough credit, but, well, I guess it doesn't really matter now, does it?_

"That so, huh? It almost sounds like there is something there that really needs protecting, doesn't it?" Kouga stated with a light chuckle.

Moki shrugged his shoulders off handedly. "Possibly. Should Maki and I infiltrate it?"

Kouga thought that over for a minute before he turned and smiled at the bat demon. "Do you know why I called you and your brother here to Tokyo?"

"Yes, you need help finding something you lost," Moki answered matter-of-factly. Sniffing at the night air, he rolled his shoulders as he stated calmly, "Death is coming; can you smell it?"

"Is it?" Kouga questioned softly, one eye-brow raised higher than the other.

He knew Maki and Moki were the best of the best at getting things done when one didn't want to be found out, and they were exceptional assassins, trained in the ancient ways since the day they were born. And perhaps for that reason he should've utilized them more, but their innate knowledge of the unknown or rather the future was just something that did not sit right with him. There was just some things that one did not need to know, wasn't there?

The sound of a cell phone ringing cut through the silence that was growing between boss and crony, and Moki reached into his pocket pulling it out. "Yes?"

Kouga stared at the demon. He knew it was the bat demon's brother calling, but he couldn't make out what he was saying because when they talked to one another, they used an ancient language that was long dead and forgotten by most demons.

The wolf demon sighed lightly as the Moki finished talking and disconnected the call. "What is he up to now?"

"He just entered the building in question via the roof and a balcony that sits off of what appears to be the pent house."

Kouga pushed up off the car and swallowed. _He's planning on taking Kagome and doing exactly what? Doesn't he know that I'll fucking kill him if he hurts her? He has to fucking know that, the bastard!_

He figured that somewhere along the way, Dinshu must have gotten his signals mixed! He had to know that Kagome belonged to him and was not something that he could just take because well, he didn't like the idea of having a fucking gun pointed in his fucking face!

Sure, he had allowed Din to fuck her once, the night of his bachelor party, and maybe in hind-sight that was a horrendous mistake, but it was not something that he could take back-it was done. Did Din actually think that he'd be okay with him fucking Kagome again? He couldn't be that dumb! He…he just couldn't be that fucking stupid, could he?

"Kill him," Kouga declared callously. "Tell Maki to follow him, and if he comes within 100 feet of what I've lost, that he is to kill him." He thought that over quickly and corrected, "Regardless of whether she's there or not, I want Dinshu dead. He's outlived his usefulness."

Moki nodded dispassionately and queried, "And would you like us to return to you what you've lost?"

Kouga knew that unlike the others, Maki and Moki followed his orders to the 'T'. If he told them to kill someone, come hell or high water, that person was going to end up dead. And without the entire world finding out, or anyone in the general vicinity getting in the way; that is unless some poor fool tried to intervene.

"No. If it is returned to me in that manner, it will never truly be mine again." His intention had never been to kidnap Kagome and lock her away in some dungeon as if she was his sex slave, unless it came to that.

He wanted to be able to go to her and talk to her as he had done on so many other occasions, and he would. He just needed to get a lock on her location and get her world, that Dinshu had turned upside down in a matter of days, back in order, and then the ball would be back in his court.

Besides, she knew nothing of his criminal life, and he'd prefer to keep it that way for both their sakes.

"As you wish," Moki stated, glancing up and down the street before preparing to take flight.

"Oh, and Moki, once that is done, I need you to clear up some unfinished business of Dinshu's. Her name is Sango," Kouga stated, shoving one of his hands in his pockets while opening the driver's side door to his car with the other.

"With Dinshu's demise, will she still be able to connect you to him?"

"Does that really matter?"

"Perhaps it should," Moki challenged. "I've read the papers, Nashitaku-sama, perhaps _that _woman has suffered enough."

"Perhaps you should let me decide that, Moki," Kouga snapped not really surprised that the bat demon was questioning him with regard to this particular kill. He, like his brother, hated dealing with women in this manner unless it was a life or death, or rather a jail or freedom situation connected directly to them.

Moki looked at him for a long moment before he spoke, "This _thing_ that you've lost, will getting it back make the blood that will coat your hands at the end of this ordeal, worth it?"

Kouga glanced up at the demon that was hovering a few feet off the ground. "Perhaps at the end you will tell me," he stated cryptically as he climbed into his car and shut the door, officially ending their conversation.

As the car pulled off, Moki watched the red of its taillights disappear before taking off into the night sky, his face expressionless. "Power is always put in the hands of the foolish," he whispered as he shot off heading in the direction of his brother and their target, Dinshu.

_**

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**_

Simonkal of Inuy

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Kagome wasn't sure exactly when she'd fallen asleep or how long she'd been sleeping after Inuyasha's tossing and turning had initially awakened her, but she was damn sure that if the _dogs _in her life didn't let her get some sleep, neither one of them would like her in the morning.

She pulled the blanket up over head, and then tried to bury it under Inuyasha's warm body in order to shut out Ashton's constant whimpering, but it just wasn't working.

_I know Inuyasha can hear him! He has to be able to, damn it! I bet he's ignoring him thinking that I'll get up and take him out!_

The hanyou in question shifted, rolled to his side and pulled her closer, his breathing even and soft.

Ashton stopped whimpering for a fraction of a second and Kagome sighed as she peeked up from beneath the covers thinking that she was safe, but just as quickly as she did that the damned dog started up again. This time, it was more of an insistent pathetic whine that she swore was his attempt to peel the paint off of the walls.

Not only that, but he seemed to have moved closer to the bedroom and away from the living room where'd he'd taken to sleeping since they'd been staying with Inuyasha.

_Damn it, Ashton! Why do you have to be house broken? Why can't you just piss on the floor like any other dog would?_

As if in answer to her question, he released a whine that had to be loud enough to wake the dead, and she glanced up at Inuyasha's sleeping face and frowned.

Staring at him, she silently willed him to open his eyes, to hear Ashton and take him out.

_Wake up, Inuyasha. Get up! Your dog needs to go out, _she thought desperately.

She knew Ashton wasn't his dog, but they'd both kind of taken to handing over ownership of the animal when he did something bad or needed-like now at this ungodly hour-to go outside.

_Damn it, Inuyasha, if you don't wake up right now, I'll pinch the shit out of you, _she silently threatened as she stared from his sleeping face down to his pert nipple, which she was determined to attack if necessary.

She narrowed her eyes, closed in on his face in hopes that her proximity would wake him up, but to no avail.

Pulling her hand from under the covers, she continued to stare up at him as she prepared her thumb and forefinger to attack that sensitive little patch of skin.

_Okay, I know I promised, but this is important! I need sleep, _she thought in an attempt to rationalize what she was about to do.

She scowled at him, glanced at her fingers and inched them closer to his nipple. _I'll just pinch him a little. Just enough that he'll think it was a mosquito bite or something, _she told herself as her fingers inched even closer to his skin.

"Kagome?"

She froze, stared at his face, her fingers poised to strike. "Y…yeah?"

"What exactly do you think you're doing?" he questioned already knowing the answer, and his voice holding no sign of sleepiness.

"No-nothing, why?" she stuttered, hoping that she sounded as innocent as she did in her head.

Takahashi grunted out something that was caught between a laugh and a snort, but he didn't respond to what had to be a rhetorical question.

"Well, Ashton needs to go out and you wouldn't wake up," she offered in hopes that he didn't know that in actuality she hadn't even tried.

"Did you try to wake me?" he questioned, his eyes still closed.

In order for him to ask her that question, she knew he had to have already known the truth, so she forewent lying and declared softly as she started drawing invisible circles into his bare chest, "I tried subconsciously; that counts right?"

His eyes cracked slowly open at that, and he just stared at her, his face caught between wanting to laugh and wanting to be serious. "So you were willing to break a promise that you made to me in order to get me to take the dog out rather than _consciously_ waking me up?"

"Inuyasha?" she questioned in a whiny tone while batting her eyelashes at him.

Rolling his eyes as he pushed himself up into a seated position, he just shook his head at her and turned so that his feet were off the bed. "I swear, Wench, you're really something else."

Feeling guilty now, she declared softly as she pushed up as well so that her weight was balanced on her left palm, "I wasn't really going to do it."

He glanced over his shoulder at her and rolled his eyes while running his clawed fingers through his hair. "Liar, liar, pants on fire," he quipped tauntingly.

"Fine, I'll take him out," she stated quickly while kicking the covers off of her and climbing out of the bed.

Inuyasha could see the guilt she was feeling in her eyes, and as messed up as it was, it only served to make him feel guilty for making her feel guilty. Did that even make sense?

Quickly grabbing a pair of his oversized sweatpants off the chair nearest to her side of the bed, Kagome declared, "He's my dog, anyway. You go back to bed. I'll handle it."

"He's only your dog when he's being cute, remember?" Inuyasha stood to his feet, walked around the foot of the bed and held his hand out.

Looking down at his waiting palm, she questioned, "What?"

"Give me the damn pants."

"No it's okay, Inuyasha, I'll-"

"Please," he declared exasperatedly, and then finished, "Woman, just give me the pants so I can go before he pisses on my floor and then I'm really upset."

"I'll go with you then."

Picking her up, he dropped her on the bed on her back and pulled the sweat pants off her with little effort as she tried to hold on to the waistband. "You just stay here and try not to break any more promises," he responded sarcastically, a smirk on his handsome face.

"Inuyasha, I wasn't going-"

Pulling a random t-shirt over his head, he shot her look that clearly said, save the lies for someone that don't know any better. He figured it was well received since it did shut her up and caused her to swallow convulsively.

"Okay, so I was going to give you a little pinch, but it was for the better good of humanity. You know, neither one of us was going to like cleaning up dog piss. And it stains."

Inuyasha stared at her for a minute, and then shook his head as the chuckle that he'd been trying to hold in from the moment he'd heard Ashton's first whine and felt Kagome attempt to ignore it escape him. Pulling the shirt the rest of the way down, he stalked slowly towards her.

Kagome scooted back as if she thought he was going to do something to her, but he caught her ankle and pulled her back towards him so that she was laying before him, her knees bent and her legs spread.

"Where exactly do you think you're going, Wench?"

"Takahashi, I-" she started as she stared at the devilish glint in his eyes, and cursed the fact that her period was on.

He ran his hand down the length of her inner thigh to the edge of the tight shorts she'd decided to sleep in as a reminder to him that he was not getting any tonight and probably not for the next few days. "You know you need to be punished, right?"

Kagome nodded reluctantly as he pushed her legs further apart and leaned down towards her. "Inuyasha, we can't. My per-"

"Shush," he hissed softly. Leaning in closer, so that his body was mere inches from hers, he blew in her ear, trailed the tip of his tongue down the side of her neck, and nipped lightly at her collar bone causing her to moan.

Laying down on her, he allowed her to encircle his neck as he reached beneath her and palmed her ass roughly, squeezing it as he rocked his hips against her. "When your period goes off," he started in a whisper, "I'm so going to make you pay. You do know that, don't you?"

The harlot actually rocked back against him and grinned as she replied seductively, "I can hardly wait."

Pushing up off of her as Ashton started that annoying whining shit again, Inuyasha shook his head exasperatedly and smiled down at her. "You owe me big for this one."

"I know, Dog-boy," she quipped softly as she crawled back under the covers and tried to get her body to cool down. Watching him step out into the dark hallway, she couldn't help but to smile as he poked his head back in the door and quipped, "And for the record, I don't clean up dog piss, I pay people to do it for me."

Kagome rolled her eyes and laughed as she fanned him away dismissively. _Baka_

"Alright runt, let's go," she heard him say seconds before she heard the front door open and close behind him.

She felt like she was a school girl in love for the first time when she was around him. The things he did to her and the way he made her feel was just unexplainable.

Sure, at first, she thought that he was seriously upset with her for the whole 'about to pinch' thing, but she quickly figured out that he was only toying with her, which was something that he seemed to take some pride in doing.

Stretching her hands over her head, Kagome then snuggled deeper into the covers as she glanced at the clock on the nightstand. Closing her eyes, she tried to force herself to fall asleep again, but she just couldn't make herself stop smiling.

How is it that a little over a few months ago, she wasn't even able to imagine herself feeling like this, let alone staying in some guy's house? And now…and now, she couldn't even remember what she thought about or even did before he came into her life.

_He's good for me, _she decided quickly as she rolled over onto her side, away from the door and facing the window. _Since I met him, everything about me has changed. I'm…I think I might be stronger because of him._

She sighed thoughtfully and allowed her eyes to close as a yawn escaped her, leaving her feeling damn near exhausted. Shifting over slightly so that she was laying on his pillow, Kagome allowed the darkness to drag her slowly down into a world filled with thoughts and dreams of a silver haired hanyou, her hanyou…her boyfriend.

She wasn't sure how long she'd slept or even if she actually had, but as the bed behind her shifted and strong arms slipped around her waist, she smiled and slide back to meet him.

Rubbing her hands up and down his arms in an attempt to warm them up, she advised sleepily, "That was quick, but thanks for taking him."

The only response she got was a gentle kiss to the back of her head, and she smiled again and cuddled a little closer to him, so that they were spooning.

The tips of his claws moved up under her shirt, across her flat stomach, and then down to her waistband where he allowed one finger then two fingers to slip in, and begin to pry it away from her skin.

"Uh uh, Dog-boy, you know we can't tonight," she stated softly, reprimanding him with a playful slap to his wayward hand.

He stilled and she smiled, though she had to admit that she was finding his silence a little unnerving. Surely, he wasn't really upset with her. Reaching down, she found his clawed hand again and pulled it up to her breast. Positioning it so that he was palming her right breast, which he seemed to take much pleasure in doing, she whispered, "That's all you get tonight."

As he kneaded her breast gently, she tried to fall back into that blissful world of sleep, but something… An annoying little voice in the back of her mind started whispering to her that something was off, or was it wrong?

She pushed that thought away, snuggled back into him, and smiled when he kissed the side of her neck.

Bringing her hand up to rub against his forearm that was wrapped around her waist, a thought occurred to her, _Hair? Hair? __Inuyasha doesn't-_

Pushing that thought aside since it was stupid to even consider, she quieted her mind and just tried to enjoy the safety and comfort he offered.

Stillness, silence, the sound of soft breathing surrounded her, dragging her back down into that blissful world of slumber, and she inhaled as she allowed the forefingers of euphoria to claim her. However, just as it started to envelop her mind, body, and soul, her eyes snapped wide open.

At that same moment his hand stilled and she knew, just knew that…

Kagome glanced from right to left, and stared at the large window that stretched the length of the bedroom wall, hoping to see a reflection. The only thing that she saw was her own eyes filled with fear and trepidation.

She swallowed, her heartbeat increasing almost to the point that she was hyperventilating.

"Inu…yasha?" she queried unsurely. "Dog…boy?"

If asked to explain it, she didn't know how she would've begun, but she just knew in the pit of her belly that it wasn't him. Maybe it was in the way that he touched her, the way he smelled, his breathing, or maybe even just because of the silence.

She closed her eyes and swallowed as she silently prayed to whatever heavenly beings that may have been listening at the moment, _Please let this be a dream! Please…please let this be a figment of my imagination!_

No, she knew it wasn't him, because she'd never once been afraid of him. She'd never ever doubted his touch.

"Taka…hashi, please…please say something," she whispered again, knowing she would get no answer.

Unable to bare it any longer, Kagome threw the covers back and jumped out of the bed! Grabbing the wireless lamp off the nightstand, she shouted, "Who's there?" Staring at the bed that was now vacant, she felt unbelievably stupid, but she knew without a shadow of a doubt that someone had been there touching and kissing her.

She…she could still feel the wetness of his kiss on the back of her neck… She could still feel the heat of his hands on her skin, and she could…she could still smell his musky scent.

Allowing her eyes to roam the length of the room, she stepped back until her back was flush against the wall. Inching her way around slowly towards the door, the lamp clasped tightly in her hands, she continued to scan the room, and then froze as she narrowed her eyes at the door leading to the darkened bathroom.

She saw the silhouette of what appeared to be a man standing there, but she couldn't make out one thing about his face. However, his stature…his build; it was familiar. It was almost as if she'd seen it one time too many.

She blinked, shook head and tried to tell herself that maybe she was just seeing things, but she couldn't be sure and damn it, she wasn't going to wait around to find out.

Throwing the lamp that she was holding in the general direction of the person or thing, she didn't wait around to see if it connected. Instead, she charged towards the door, but strong possessive arms stopped her dead in her tracks, ramming her left shoulder hard against the wall of Inuyasha's bedroom.

Flipping her around quickly, he pinned her against the wall so that her back was to him, and her hands held roughly over her head.

"I'm going to love this," the stranger hissed in her ear.

_That voice? _She'd heard it before, she knew that. _He was the one at my apartment!_

Kagome kicked back, fought against him and tried to pull her hands out of his grasp, but the more she struggled, the tighter he held her.

"Who are you? What do you want? How did you get in here?"

He leaned in, licked the back of her right ear, and forced his knee between her legs pushing her knees apart. "Your friend was fun, but I think you are going to be a gala."

The dots connected almost too quickly and she screamed at the top of her lungs, knowing he had to be talking about Sango, "Stop! Stop! No! No! Don't fucking touch me! Stop! No! Gods No! Inuyaaaaaaaaaasha!!"

He slammed her head against the wall roughly and punched her in her side in order to shut her up, and almost immediately darkness consumed her as her body went limp against his own, and her mind slowly faded to black.

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**Until Next Time... (Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated!) **

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**Next Chapter: **Foolish Endeavors

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_**Acknowledgements: **_(All others have been sent PM's)

**Menaii**: You are so freaking awesome! I totally loved the picture, and anytime and I do mean anytime you feel the urge to draw a scene from my fic, you are more than welcome to do so as long as I can post it for everyone else to see. Thanks my wonderful friend for you continued support, seriously!

**IhateKikyou**: Wow, so, I guess you don't really care for Kikyou, huh? (lol) Thanks for your wonderful review; I hope this new chapter did not disappoint you.

**Chino-chan**: Thanks for your wonderful review; I hope this update didn't disappoint you.

**Jin**: I thought I made it clear that Kikyo's husband was Oni, which is short for Onigumo, who is also known as Naraku. Trust me it's in the last chapter, you just need to reread that part of the last chapter a little slower, she calls him by his name more than a few times. Thanks for your review!!

**MBC**: Thank you for your wonderful review and I'm sorry for the drama, I really am, but it only gets a little worse from here.

**InuSoul**: Relax my friend, and just let the story play out, okay? No need to freak out, he hasn't even cheated on Kagome with Kikyo yet! (lol) Thanks for the wonderful review!!


	47. Foolish Endeavors

**A/N**: As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness. I think this is the longest one yet, guys!! But it's packed with action, so at least it will be entertaining!! You guys won't believe how busy I've been!! Seriously, I don't know how I remember to breathe…lol. Anyway, you can thank Menaii for this chapter, because she did another fabulous pic that blew me away and well, I felt I had to make the time to post this one. Anyway, thanks guys for all of your wonderful reviews and your continued support, and I'll try not to keep you waiting as long next time-but no promises…lol. And Neko, my wonderful beta, you're freaking awesome! Thank you and I'll start working on those other chapters as soon as I catch my breath…(wink).

**P.S.** – If you belong to the Guild and you haven't voted, you're just WRONG!!! (Grins)

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**Disclaimer**: I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Dinshu, Nola, Nya, Takira, Gage, Moki, Maki, and Dr. Aikio. All others belong to the wonderful and inspiring Rumiko Takahashi.

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**Chapter 47:**

**Foolish Endeavors**

Stepping through the glass doors and back into the lobby, Inuyasha glanced down at Ashton and almost laughed. It seemed that every 4 or 5 steps the dog took, he had to shit.

The hanyou honestly had never seen anything like it before in his life. He was sure that Kagome wouldn't have found it funny in the least, but being there to witness it-even at 2 a.m.-was enough to make it almost worth it.

"I guess you got yourself a case of the shits, huh runt?" he joked. "Next time, I bet you'll stay out of the fucking garbage, won't you?"

The dog whined and pulled against the leash as if saying he wasn't ready to go upstairs, and Inuyasha tugged right back, pulling Ashton along.

Fighting against him, Ashton tried to sit down, his front paws pushing against the carpeted floor.

"Bring your ass on, mutt," the hanyou ground out as he stared down at the mulish dog.

Ashton whined pitifully and started crawling around the floor, dragging his ass over the carpet as if he had an itch he just couldn't scratch.

Standing there watching the pathetic animal, Inuyasha couldn't help but to burst out laughing. "Serves your ass right," he declared between chuckles.

Ashton looked up at him and Inuyasha swore that if dogs could cry, he would've been in tears right now.

Unfortunately, that only served to make the hanyou laugh even harder.

Sighing as his laughter died down, Takahashi stood motionless for a few more minutes while the dog alternated being trying to stand up and roughly dragging his ass across the carpet.

He knew he couldn't take the damn dog back upstairs because that would mean that he'd be right back down here with him within a few minutes, and that was just not something that he was willing to do at the moment.

"Look, I ain't fucking staying out here with you all night," the hanyou snapped as he eyed a few of the security guards he'd hired since Kagome had been staying with him. Frowning since they would be of little assistance because they had _jobs_ to do, he quickly turned his attention to the night doorman.

_The perfect patsy, _he thought with a smirk.

Grinning down at the dog, he started quickly towards the doorman.

"I got something for you, my friend," he declared to Ashton as he stepped through the side entrance dragging the reluctant animal behind him.

If he remembered correctly, the guy's name was Muso, or something along those lines, but he couldn't honestly say that he was a 100 or even 50 percent sure about that.

"Oi," the hanyou quipped conversationally.

The guy, whom appeared to be about the same age as him, turned and smiled before bowing slightly as he replied, "Takahashi-sama, is there something that I can help you with?"

Inuyasha grinned. _Yep, owning the fucking building definitely has its perks._

"Yeah, uhm, 'the girlfriend's' dog is sick, and I need to get up early for a meeting tomorrow, so if you could-" He hated lying to the guy, but he didn't want to seem just, well, lazy either.

The eager-beaver cut him off, "Would you like me to keep him out here with me?"

"Yeah, if you could, I'd really appreciate it." Glancing around at a patch of grass sitting to the side of the door, but far enough away that it wouldn't turn someone's stomach if Ashton used it, Inuyasha finished, "He can go over there if he needs to."

"Of course; what's the little guy's name?" the gentleman queried while reaching for the pup's leash.

"Ashton," Takahashi retorted while handing the strap to him, "Your name is Muso, right?"

"Yes, sir," he confirmed with a big grin on his face.

"Well, I'll have something for you tomorrow night for doing this for me; are you working?"

"That's not necessary, Takahashi-sama," Muso advised with a deep bow.

Inuyasha glanced down at Ashton and chuckled as he advised, "You may not be thinking that in a few minutes. Anyway, bring him up after your shift ends, and whatever you do, don't give him anything to eat or drink."

"Hai, Takahashi-sama."

"Call me Inuyasha," the hanyou corrected as he turned and started back through the glass doors.

He could hear Ashton begin to whine and bark as his claws connected repeatedly with the glass window surrounding the lobby, and he almost stopped and went back to get him.

_That damn woman is turning me into some kind of wimp or something._

Inuyasha knew Ashton probably didn't like the idea of being left with a stranger, but a particular warm body laying in a big plush bed was calling his name, so with one last glance at 'the girlfriend's' dog, he started quickly towards the elevators.

_Period or not, that Wench owes me big for this one._

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_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

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Grinning down at his handiwork, Dinshu reveled in the fact that he had out smarted all of them.

He had managed to keep Kouga at bay by lying to him about his surveillance of the woman, Sango, and her fiancé. Whom, he knew had returned to their place of residence a few days ago.

Of course, he'd contemplated heading over there and finishing her off, but a man had to have his priorities, right? And fortunately for her, she just wasn't at the top of his list.

He'd also managed to keep the damned half-breed that was constantly sniffing around Kagome-Inuyasha he believed he heard her call him-from finding out that he'd been tailing them almost everywhere they went.

And then, the security guards blanketing the building; he'd fooled them as well. He'd tried coming in through the front door, the garage, and even the basement on a few different occasions, but they were everywhere and in-between.

He'd tried telling them that he was here to visit a girlfriend, but they stopped him dead in his tracks when they asked for a name and a unit number, so they could have her come down and get him. He'd then tried again when the hanyou left one morning dressed in a business suit.

That time, he'd told them that he was there to do some work in one of the upper units, but the prick at the door advised him that this building was equipped with a 24 hour maintenance service, and that the tenant that called him would just have to go through the proper channels for any necessary repairs.

After that, he started creeping around the building hoping to find a way in, but all of his attempts were futile, until that is, he scaled to the top of the fucking building.

He grinned at that. _I wonder why they never thought of closing off the roof, the idiots!_

His first time on the roof, he'd tried going through the door that led to the stairwell. Unfortunately, it was locked electronically and was only unlocked by maintenance or automatically should there be a fire or something along those lines. At least that's what the sign that was posted on it said.

Anyway, he's happened upon a glass dome type structure that had to be 5 or 6 panes thick and took up at least a 3rd of the roof. Peering in, he'd immediately known that it lead to a bedroom of some type, but by the looks of the white sheets blanketing every piece of furniture within, it was not a room that was used. That tidbit of information caused him to contemplate just breaking it, but he figured that that would definitely draw just a little too much attention.

Setting that plan aside until he truly had no other options; he'd lazily leaned over the side of the building while cogitating over exactly what to do next when he saw the solitary balcony, just sitting there as if calling his name.

Of course, he'd thought that the gods were smiling on him, but he didn't know exactly how true that was until he'd jumped down, tried the door, which was locked, and then was greeted by that freaking mutt that thwarted his plans every fucking time he got within a few feet of Kagome.

At that time, he'd thought about just breaking the door down, breaking the mutt's neck, and throwing him over the balcony, but he heard the half-breed from somewhere deeper in the condo yell at the dog, telling him to shut up.

Not wanting an altercation when it wasn't totally necessary, he'd jumped back up to the roof, and then made his way quickly back over to his original hiding place in order to put the rest of his plan into action.

Dinshu knew that the dog-the one on all fours-was going to get in his way, so he'd ventured to the nearest vet and picked up a few packs of pet laxatives, and some dog treats. Since he knew that the hanyou tended to leave the sliding glass door open every night, he decided that on the night that he put his plan into action, he would make sure the dog-the one on all fours-damn near overdosed on laxatives; thereby, getting rid of both mutts at once.

He knew the half-breed was not about to let Kagome walk the dog in the middle of the night because of how protective he was over her, and if he did… Well, that would've worked too, wouldn't it?

Turning his attention back to the woman in his arms, he brushed his thoughts off as he dragged his knuckles slowly over her heated skin.

"That should keep both your mutts busy for more than a little while, don't you think?" he whispered as he quickly shifted her so that he could lift her bridle style.

Turning on his heels, he stepped over to the bed and laid her down gently since he wasn't quite ready for her to awaken.

Brushing his fingers across the bump that was quickly forming on her forehead, he said quietly as if it was truly her fault, "I'm sorry, I had to do this to you, but you really didn't leave me any other alternative."

Leaning over her so that his hands were on either side of her head, he slowly took in her sleeping face and the way her lips were parted ever so slightly as he grinned as if he'd just won some kind of award.

He ran his hand down the side of her face to her collar where he allowed the tips of his claws to trail ever so slowly across her flushed skin. "I did what he couldn't, did you know that?" he advised softly, as he dragged his hands down to her breasts, over her flat belly and down to the patch of skin that the little baby-doll tank top she wore couldn't cover.

Raking his claws across the area, he heard a groan slip from her and he grinned impishly. "I always did think you responded to me a little too well that night."

He moved his hand down the inside of her thigh to her knee and lifted her leg so that it was bent as if she was eagerly waiting on him.

"Tonight, you'll know who I am, and you'll remember me; that I promise, Sweetness."

Leaning in closer, he sniffed around her mouth, her neck, and then licked lightly at the corner of her mouth.

Inhaling deeply between his clenched teeth, Din shook his head slowly as he continued to stare down at her, unable to believe that he'd actually done it. He'd actually accomplished what Kouga couldn't.

_When I'm done… _He chuckled softly at his own thoughts. _When I'm done, maybe…maybe I'll repay the favor and let Kouga get just a little taste. What do you think about that, Sweetness? Do you think you'll feel up to it? _Grinning down at her, his thought finished, _No I don't think you will either._

Dinshu's head snapped up.

Glancing from right to left and back again, he sighed as he reached over, pulled both ends of the comforter up that she was laying on, and wrapped it around her as if she was a human burrito.

Looking around him again, he could've sworn he felt something, but as far as he could tell there was nothing and no one there.

Brushing his unease off as he tossed his prize over his shoulder and started towards the door, he decided quickly that he was probably just being paranoid. That aside, he figured that the smart thing to do would be to get the hell out of dodge with his package in tow since it was never his plan to taste her here anyway.

Besides, he figured that there was only so much shitting the dog could do, before the damn hanyou dragged him back upstairs.

_Play time will just have to wait, eh?_

Starting up the long dark hallway, he made sure to keep his eyes and ears open for anything that may be out of sorts. However, as he stepped out of the hallway and into the living room, he stopped short and backpedaled just a little as the darkness shifted around him eerily.

Taking another step back, his package still over his shoulder, Dinshu stared into the darkness surrounding him and tried to figure out if it had actually been this dark when he'd entered the hanyou's home.

Being a demon, he had excellent eyesight, but this darkness…this thing that was surrounding him, barely allowed him to see his own legs when he looked down.

He tried to sense for any auras that shouldn't have been there, but he couldn't sense a fucking thing! It was almost as if his senses-all of them-had been dulled by something or someone.

_I'm just being fucking paranoid. Shit, I can't see a damn thing, because there's nothing here for me to see, _he told himself as he hesitantly proceeded forward only to come to a complete stop as he stared out onto the balcony, his only way out.

_Fuck!!_

Dinshu swallowed, and stepped back as he stared at the bat youkai that was propped up on the railing as if he was some kind of gargoyle-immovable and emotionless. His jet black ponytail blowing out behind him, one clawed hand gripping the railing between his bent knees where he squatted, while the other hand held onto a long sword encased in a shiny black lacquer sheath, and his eyes... Those fucking eyes of his were black as charcoal just before it was lit, and his skin…

"Mo…Moki, what are you doing here?" Dinshu questioned irritably, somehow already knowing the answer. _Son of a bitch!_

Moki said nothing as he narrowed his eyes at the package over Dinshu's shoulder.

The darkness around him shifted again and Dinshu swallowed convulsively, and gripped Kagome's body tighter with one hand as he reached slowly into the side band of his jeans.

He could feel the darkness roll over him, taunting him, tempting him, and promising him something that he couldn't rightfully face at the moment. He could feel the power in it, and he knew…he knew that this darkness…this thing that surrounded him…that moved as if it was a living thing was not natural; it was Maki, Moki's fucking twin brother!

He despised them and every solitary thing they stood for, the fucking bastards! He hated them, because they acted as if they were better than everyone else! They acted as if they weren't killers and thugs, when they were the deadliest ones of all! They…the pricks, acted like they were better than everyone else that worked for Kouga, including him!

He fucking loathed both of them and would rather die at the hands of a whimpering, tit sucking pig, than to be killed by either one of them!

"Moki, I'm just doing what the boss told me to do!" he snarled, hoping that the bat demon would believe him.

Moki continued to stare at him, his eyes unreadable, his body stiff as a statue, his eyes shining against the night sky behind him. If Din had to describe it, he would've probably equated it to two simmering tar pits in the dead of night.

"Look if you want, I'll let you take her in. You…you can tell the boss that you found her. You can claim the catch," Din tried, fruitlessly. The darkness around him rolled again as if becoming impatient and he growled, his nose flaring wide, "What? Cat got your fucking tongue? I don't have time for another one of your fucking staring competitions, you bastard!"

Moki glanced over Din's shoulder at the front door, and then back at the wolf demon. The package…the thing the Kouga had presumably lost was still hanging over his shoulder, but beginning to move more with each moment that dribbled by. He rolled his head around slowly, loosening up the muscles in the sides of his neck, but he said nothing.

The darkness rolled up around Dinshu like liquid venom; vile and disgusting. It twisted and churned erratically, engulfing him slowly like black smoke from burning carcasses. It rolled up past his calves, his knees, his hips, to his abdomen.

Dinshu reached for the gun he carried, but the smoke…the darkness twisted higher and with such fierceness that he felt as if a large fist had just been wrapped around him and it was hell bent on crushing every fucking bone in his body!

"What? You gonna fucking kill me, you pricks? He sent you to fucking kill me? For what? For doing what he told me to do?" he hissed as his body spasmed uncontrollably causing Kagome to slip from his grasp and tumbled to the floor landing with a loud thud.

He tried fighting against it; twisting his body one way and then the other, but the more he tried, the tighter the smoke…the darkness held to him, forcing the air out of his lungs and slowing the blood that was pulsing through his veins.

Fear snaked its way up his spine and spread quickly out to every nerve in his body choking him, and suffocating him all at once. _I won't fucking die here! I won't die like this, fuck them!_

"Don't…don't… Moki, don't…" he tried to say against his better judgment. But as he looked up, his eyes riddled with rage, fear, and pain, Dinshu swallowed as he watched Moki step slowly down off the railing and appear to glide towards him slowly with that blasted sword dragging lazily behind him.

Dinshu swallowed again in an attempt to rewet his parched throat, but Moki paid no attention to him. Instead, he knelt down beside Kagome's body, pulled the comforter back, and stared down at her face for a brief moment before he looked up again and at the front door.

"Mo…Moki, I thought we were friends. Te…ll your brother to stop this. We…" Dinshu hissed between clenched teeth, knowing that he was reaching, because Moki and Maki considered no one a friend. Seeing as how he was being ignored, he bellowed, his anger surging to the forefront again, "Fuck you! Fuck you both! Kill me, damn it! The fact remains, I did something that none of you could do! I fucking found her! Dinshu; me motherfucker, I found her!"

His head tilting slightly from one side to the other, Moki stared at him for a long moment before turning and gliding back towards the balcony. Coming to a stop, he intoned impassively over his shoulder as if he was speaking about a bag of stinking, rotting garbage, "Maki, you are to remain here; however, you are not to intervene. Let the hanyou do with him as he wishes and when he's done, if there is anything left, kill him." Starting towards the door again, he continued while pointing at the comforter that Kagome was wrapped in, "No harm is to come to that thing."

The darkness rumbled up higher on Dinshu's body uncompromisingly, and rolled away just as quickly, disappearing back into the darkened crevices and shadows of the room as if it never existed.

As Moki stepped onto the balcony, he turned so that he was partially facing the wolf youkai. His face was expressionless, his eyes swimming pools of the darkest part of hell itself. "I will see you in hell," he avowed quietly as his body evaporated into nothingness, while the door of the condo cracked open slowly.

Dinshu dropped to the ground and reached for Kagome with one hand while grabbing for his gun with his other hand only to realize that it was no longer there.

_Maki, the bastard, took it!_

_**

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**_

Simonkal of Inuy

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Stepping out of the elevator, Inuyasha glanced up and down the short hallway knowing that no one would be there, because the only door up here was his. Even knowing that, he still couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong…very, very wrong.

_I'm just tired, _he tried to tell himself as a chill ran up and down his spine.

Attempting to shake his thoughts off, the hanyou started towards his door, but slowed as the sound of a voice that he could vaguely remember hearing once before floated out to him.

Most of what was being said sounded just a little muffled, but he clearly heard, _"I did something none of you could do! I fucking found her! Dinshu; me motherfucker, I found her!"_

Inuyasha stopped dead in his tracks.

_Hold the fuck up! I have to be hearing things, because I just know-_

He sniffed the hallway lightly, but he didn't smell anything out of the ordinary. Running his hand across his forehead since he had to be merely hearing voices again, the hanyou tried to tell himself that he was just having a small nervous breakdown and nothing more.

_That's it; I'm fucking imagining things again._

Starting towards his door again, Inuyasha sighed lightly and tried to laugh at himself as he reached for the doorknob.

His movements stilled instantly.

He could feel an aura penetrating through the door as if wanting to make itself known.

_What the fuck?_

He shook his head slowly as realization slowly fell over him. The hanyou licked his lips, his fists clenching as he swallowed convulsively.

_No…no…no…fucking no!_

Laying his palm flat against the door, he tried to feel for how many were there, but outside of the one aura, he couldn't pick up on anyone else.

_This son of a bitch must be out of his fucking mind, _he growled silently as a deep scowl fell over his face.

_Okay, so if I heard what the fuck I know I heard, then who the hell was he talking to? _Pushing that thought to the back of his mind since that really was the least of his worries at the moment, Inuyasha gripped the handle again and twisted as he slowly pushed the door open, not exactly sure what he was going to find.

Without taking his eyes off of the demon in front of him, the hanyou pushed the door closed behind him and stepped further into the condo, his mind running a mile a minute!

The diplomatic part of him was telling him to just talk to the guy or better yet call the police, but the violent protective part was whispering seductive little violent things that he could do to the interloper before he decided to get the authorities involved.

Glancing at the bundle on the floor as the debate in his mind raged on, Inuyasha sniffed and stopped, his heart rate instantly increasing, his blood pressure rising dramatically as everything fell into place just a little too well.

_The restaurant… The guy at the hospital… That fucking scent; he's the one that was at Kagome's place! Kagome, _he thought hysterically, glancing down at the comforter quickly then back at the youkai. _Dinshu… The fucker that that prick let fuck Kagome!_

The hanyou grinned sinisterly down at the youkai as the internal battle that was raging inside him was won by the protective violent part of his mind.

The youkai stood to his feet slowly while carefully eyeing him, and Inuyasha stepped back, kicked his slippers off, and smirked as he stated conversationally while squaring his shoulders, "So, exactly how are you planning on getting out of here…Dinshu?"

Dinshu scoffed and narrowed his eyes at the half-demon. "What, you think a half-breed like yourself can fucking stop me?"

Tugging his t-shirt over his head, the hanyou rolled his head slowly, stretching the tendons in his neck as he replied wryly, "Who said anything about stopping you; I just want my comforter."

Dinshu shot him a look that clearly said he thought he'd lost his mind, and Inuyasha was more than okay with that.

"Your comforter? That's…that's all you want?" the demon questioned, his voice holding every ounce of bewilderment he was feeling.

Takahashi grinned at the demon as he tossed his shirt on the floor near his feet. "Well, I also want to see how tight your ass is," he offered as he began slowly walking towards the demon that appeared to be more than a little caught off guard by his last statement. Picking up just enough speed, Inuyasha finished as he lifted his right leg and kicked the wolf demon dead in the center of his chest, "But first things first, my fucking comforter!"

Dinshu flew back through the glass balcony doors, breaking them as he landed hard on the cement balcony!

Inuyasha stared at him for a brief second before he quickly knelt down next to the bundle. Un-wrapping it, he swiftly checked for a pulse and for any blood, but after noticing that there was none, he stood back to his feet, his eyed fixated on the demon that was currently using the railing to pull himself to his feet.

"I got my comforter back. Now it's time to test that ass of yours," Inuyasha quipped nastily, his fangs bared at the demon as he stepped carelessly through the broken glass and onto the balcony.

Dinshu sprang to his feet and charged at him, his claws outstretched before him, but Inuyasha was quicker! He sidestepped him and caught him in the face with a quick right hook, and then ducked catching him in the ribs with a left, knocking him back so that his body flew back and almost over the railing!

Inuyasha stepped forward swiftly, grabbing the demon by the hair and pulled him back roughly. "I'm not ready to let you leave just yet, Dinshu. I still need to check the tightness of your ass," he hissed, as he twisted the demon's ponytail around his hand and rammed his face into the cinderblock siding of the building once, twice, three times, and then roughly threw him back into the condo.

Dinshu pushed up off the floor slowly as he tried to regain his bearings, but Inuyasha wasn't feeling that in the least!

Stalking through the living room and towards the demon, Takahashi hissed, his mind a muddled mess of incoherent sadistic thoughts of things he could do to the demon before he tossed his sorry ass over the balcony, "You break into _my_ house, touch _my_ things, and then think I'm just going let you leave with _my_ favorite comforter?" Cracking his knuckles eerily, he finished with a dry chuckle, "You must be out of your fucking mind!"

Stepping past the fire place that he rarely used, Takahashi picked up the cast iron, platinum fire poker that Rin had given him as a birthday gift the year before as he came to a stop 3 feet from the demon.

Inuyasha stared at Dinshu, his head tilting from right to left and back again as if he was confused about something. "You know, I would've thought that you would be more of a challenge, but-"

The demon charged at Inuyasha, cutting him off. His claws extended in front of him, aiming directly at the hanyou's chest! Inuyasha jumped back, blocking Kagome's body as he fended off Dinshu's quick strikes with the fire poker.

Sparks created by the force of Dinshu's claws connecting with the metal, flew left and right, up and down as the hanyou continued to block the powerful blows! He realized in that moment, that maybe sparring on a regular basis with Sesshomaru really was good. Because this youkai was damn near child's play, not to mention that compared to his brother, he was slower than molasses.

Shaking off his thoughts, Inuyasha, hissed, "Enough!" as he gripped both ends of the fire poker and pushed back ferociously, sending the demon scrambling backwards and towards the front door again!

Not giving him a chance to recoup, Inuyasha charged at him! Bringing the poker up over his head he brought it down quickly in an arcing fashion colliding with the side of Dinshu's shoulder, his head, and across his chest repeatedly as if he was whipping an ill tempered child!

Dinshu tried to duck when he wasn't trying to defend himself, but the more he tried to fight back, the madder Inuyasha seemed to get!

Whacking the demon across the face with the poker, Inuyasha hissed hatefully, "Is your fucking alarm on, Dinshu?!" Bringing the poker up again, he switched the poker to his left hand and brought it down roughly, ripping open the flesh of the demon's side as he hissed tauntingly, repeating what the wolf had told Kagome a few days earlier, "Turn your fucking alarm off…because…I don't want it going off when I kick you fucking door in!"

Inuyasha brought the fire poker down again, but Dinshu caught it, so the hanyou growled agitatedly and threw a left hook catching the demon in the jaw and sending him headfirst into the glass table nearest the door.

Dinshu scrambled backwards on his butt, his hands up in mock surrender. "Wait! Wait! Don't… No more…no more, damn it!" He spat out a substance that Inuyasha knew was blood, as more blood oozed from his mouth, the entire right side of his face, his nose, and a gash in his head.

"How the fuck do you know me? Ho..How the fuck do you know my name?" Dinshu questioned eagerly as he clutched at his side while trying to inch further away from the hanyou.

Takahashi laughed as he lifted the fire poker and stared at it as if it was the best thing next to a real sword. He knew that the demon was simply trying to buy time and that was fine with him, because he could use a minute to catch his breath before he continued whipping the living shit out of him.

Thumbing the blood drenched tip of the fire poker, the hanyou responded coolly, "Given the circumstances that should _really_ be the least of your worries, shouldn't it?" Not waiting for a response, he raised his weapon high over his head and snarled as he stepped determinedly towards his prey, "Breaks over!"

"No…no more!" the demon shouted desperately as he pushed back away from the hanyou. "No…no more!"

Inuyasha stopped and stared at the wolf demon, the fire poker clasped tightly in his hand. "No more?" he mimicked, as he glanced over his shoulder at Kagome, who was beginning to stir.

Dinshu took that moment to pounce on Inuyasha, tackling him to the floor.

The two wrestled back and forth for possession of the fire poker, but somewhere along the way it slipped from Inuyasha's grasp and slid across the floor and into the darkest corner of the room.

Dinshu looked at it and Inuyasha knew if he wanted to, the demon could have gone for and gotten it, but he seemed almost afraid. Using that momentary lapse in judgment to his advantage, Inuyasha punched the wolf in his temple, sending him flying to the other side of the dining room floor.

Jumping to his feet, the hanyou stalked back towards him, his fists balled up at his sides. Watching the demon try to crawl away from him like a cowardly animal infuriated the hell out of him!

This son of a bitch had basically raped Kagome! He was probably the one that terrorized Sango not even a week ago! And now, he had the fucking audacity to be acting like some pathetic, sorry, wimpy bitch!

Kicking the demon viciously in the stomach, the hanyou hissed hatefully, "Get your fucking ass up, you fucking coward!"

Dinshu grunted out a curse word and curled into a ball on his side, which only pissed Inuyasha off even more!

Stomping on the demon's head a few times, Inuyasha shouted, "You sorry son of a bitch!" Kicking him again, he continued, "You can terrorize a fucking woman, but you can't get the fuck up and fight a man, huh?"

The hanyou stepped back, glared down at the demon and shook his head disappointedly. "You're fucking pathetic!" he hissed as he heard Kagome soft voice whisper his name. He knew she wasn't fully awake, but she was awake enough.

Sparing another moment to kick the demon in his head, Inuyasha turned and stalked out of the dining room where they had somehow ended up during their fight.

Stepping through the darkness, he couldn't help the uneasy feeling that he got, but he supposed that it was because of the intruder. So, he pushed that feeling to the back of his mind as he stepped into the dim light of the living room and attempted to make his way to where Kagome was sprawled on the floor.

She was pushing herself up into a seated position slowly as he neared her and he quickened his pace. "Kagome, try not to move too much!"

"Inuyasha, what's going-" she started to say as she looked up at him, but the look of confusion on her face that twisted into fear told him that someone was behind him.

Ducking, Inuyasha spun around catching the wrist of Dinshu's hand as he tried to drive what looked like some kind of hunting knife into his back.

"She's mine!" Dinshu hissed. "I fucking found her! I found her!" he continued as he pushed against Inuyasha's hold. "Ain't no sorry ass half-breed going to stop me!"

Inuyasha's feet slid across the smooth floor and he cursed himself for not putting in carpet as he heard Kagome whine fearfully from somewhere behind him as she tried to move out of their way.

The hanyou blinked and refocused his attention on the demon before him as he pushed back with everything he had in him. Gripping Dinshu's wrist, he twisted it and bent it back at the same time until he heard the bone crack in several places.

Dinshu screamed and pulled back before he charged forward again, lashing out at Inuyasha with the claws of his other hand, catching the tender skin of the hanyou's chest and ripping it open!

Inuyasha hissed in pain as his blood started to drain down his chest to his abdomen, but he pushed that to the side as he brought his knee up while grabbing the sides of Dinshu's head and bringing it down, so that his knee repeatedly connected with his face!

Grabbing the back of the shirt that the demon was wearing, the hanyou gripped it tightly and spun on his heels, tossing him roughly through the balcony doors and sending him flying over the railing!

"Inuyasha!" he heard Kagome scream, but as his feet moved towards the balcony, he couldn't stop to give her the attention she needed! He needed to make sure that he was gone…he needed to make sure that the bastard was fucking dead!

Hearing a loud crash and the sound of a car alarm go off, Inuyasha stared down over the balcony. His breathing heavy and labored as he watched the security guards he'd hired to keep people like _that_ prick out of his building surround the car and body in question.

Stepping back away from the railing, the hanyou inhaled and exhaled a few times before he trusted himself to go back in and take care of Kagome.

_He couldn't have survived that fall. No fucking body-youkai or human-could survive that fucking fall, _he told himself as an urgent knock echoed from his front door.

Stepping back through the broken glass, he watched as one of the security guards opened the door and stepped in followed by five or six other guards, their guns drawn and ready.

Inuyasha hissed as he dropped to his knees, the adrenaline that had been pumping through his veins beginning to recede back into whatever darkened crevices they normally hid in, "Is he dead?"

"Takahashi-sama, are you alright?" one of them asked urgently.

"Is he fucking dead?" the hanyou hissed again, his body heavy, his head throbbing, and his blood pulsing within his ears advising him silently that he needed to calm down.

"As best we can tell, yes," one of the men replied as he stepped pass Inuyasha and onto the balcony.

"Good. Call the police and an ambulance; she needs to be checked out," he directed as he finally turned his attention to Kagome, whom was huddled in the corner between the entertainment center and the balcony door.

Reaching for her slowly, Inuyasha tried to smile reassuringly. "Come here, Wench."

She seemed like she didn't want to comply, but when she did move, she threw herself into his arms, tears streaming down her face as her body trembled violently against his own.

"It's okay. He can't hurt you anymore. I made sure of that," he told her softly.

She pushed back and looked up at him searching his face for something, but he couldn't rightfully say he knew what that was. Attempting to lighten the mood just a little he asked, "What; you going to tell me that my eyes turned red again?"

She shook her head negatively and just stared at him, her body still trembling and tears still streaming down her face.

The look that she gave him unnerved him to no end, so he scented her, pushed her back further and checked her over to make sure that she hadn't been hurt. Seeing and smelling nothing, he asked, "What is it, Kagome?"

"You're hurt. Your chest, Inuyasha!" she cried. "He hurt you, oh God, Inuyasha!"

"This, it's nothing. I've had worse sparring with Sesshomaru," he replied dismissively.

She sat back away from him as she slowly reached up and ran two of her fingers lightly through the blood that was running down his chest. Glancing up at him, she started softly, "It's because of me. You got hurt because of me. Sango…Sango got attacked because of me! All of this… All of this is because of me, Inuyasha, and I didn't know him! All of this is my-

Regardless of whether that was a true statement or not, he was by no means going to let her shoulder that blame. "Stop talking ignorance, Wench. That animal did what he did because he wanted to. You didn't make him."

"But he was really after me! He was really after me! It's my fault! It's…all of it is my fault!"

Inuyasha pulled her closer and softly shushed her in an attempt to get her to calm down. Kissing her temple, he whispered, "Kagome, stop. It's not your fault. Nothing that happened here tonight or with Sango is your fault. You can't think like that."

She pushed back away from him. "How many other people have gotten hurt because of me? How many people that I didn't know, Inuyasha? He could've killed you! He… Oh, God, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" she cried as she stared down at her hands, ignoring his previous statement.

"None of that matters now. He's dead. He can't hurt anyone else, Wench." Lifting her chin so that she was looking up at him, Inuyasha finished, "None of this was your fault, Kagome. Not one solitary thing that happened here or with Sango. Do you understand?"

She stared up at him searching his face for something and he smiled reassuringly in hopes of getting her to relax.

She wiped at her eyes, and then ran the pads of her thumbs over his cheeks as she questioned hopefully, "It's not my fault?"

"No, Wench, it's not."

She forced a smile that he didn't believe for a moment, but relaxed just the same as she stated, "I…I almost didn't recognize you. I…I…didn't know you were actually capable of that. Of so much power…so much…anger…rage…"

The hanyou visibly relaxed a little more as more guards entered his home, turning on lights and roaming through as if trying to piece together what had taken place. He wasn't sure how the fight looked from Kagome's perspective, and he wasn't sure that he really wanted to know, he was just glad that he was there and he'd dealt with the situation in the manner that any half decent friend or boyfriend would have.

Reaching out, he buried his clawed hand into the hair at the nape of her neck and pulled her closer to him. Kissing her lightly on the lips, he whispered, "For you, Kagome, you'd be amazed at what I'm capable of."

In that instant the entire room went pitch black as a starless moonless winter night. Inuyasha held tighter to Kagome, and shifted quickly so that she was lying beneath him, his body shielding her.

He heard the guards urgently talking, scrambling to pull their weapons and the hanyou closed his eyes and waited for whatever would come next.

Instead of anything dramatic happening, the light reappeared as if it had never went out and the hanyou couldn't help but to wonder if it had anything to do with the presence he'd felt from the moment he'd walked into the condo. He hadn't paid it any attention at the time because his focus was on what he could see and touch, but now, he had to wonder.

_What the hell was that? Was it another fucking demon?_

The guards scrambled about shouting at one another as he sat up and pulled Kagome up and into his lap. Kissing her on the temple, he whispered in order to put her mind at ease, "It was just the electricity."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," he lied as the first of many police officers stepped into his home.

"Inuyasha, I think…" She swallowed as if she didn't think he was going to like what she said next. "I want to go home."

Glancing around at the broken glass, the blood that was splattered on the walls and the floor, and then at the turned over chairs and tables, the hanyou chuckled, "Yeah, I can see how you would want to." Kissing her in the center of her forehead, he finished, "When we're done here, we'll head over there, okay?"

Kagome shook her head and clarified sullenly, "No, I want to go _home_, Inuyasha. I…I want to go home to Kyoto. I want to see my family; my mom, my grandpa, my brother, and my friends. I want to go home, Takahashi."

Inuyasha stared at her for a long moment before he sighed in defeat. He supposed if she didn't want to go home and be around people she was familiar with after what she'd been through in the past few weeks, not to mention tonight, he would've thought that something was wrong with her.

But even knowing all that, it still didn't stop him from feeling like she'd just kicked him dead in the face.

_She wants to go home? She wants to go home to her family…her friends. She wants to leave me?_

He could still feel her small body trembling erratically against his and he sighed dejected, and shook his head in an attempt to brush off his thoughts as he conceded defeat to a battle he hadn't even fought, "Of course; but let's get you checked out first okay? And then I'll have Nya make the arrangements for you."

Before she could answer, one of the officers walked up and stated, "Takahashi-sama, we need a statement from you and your wife."

"She's 'the girlfriend'," he corrected quickly as he reached out and wrapped the blanket tighter around her shoulders. Sparing just a moment to look at her as the corners of his mouth turned up slightly in a false smile, Inuyasha sat her down on the floor beside him.

Turning his attention to the Officer, he patted the ground in front of him and stated, "Have a seat."

**Until Next Time…** (This one was long so I had to split it into two chapters!! Anyway, your 02. Cents are greatly appreciated!!)

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**Next Chapter**: Doubt

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**Acknowledgements:** (All others have been sent PM's)

**Jin:** Sorry I kept you waiting so long, my friend. I hope this chapter did not disappoint you and thanks for your continued support!!

**Nelly**: Sorry for keeping you in suspense so long, but I hope it was worth the wait. Thanks for your wonderful review my new buddy!!

**Menaii**: Thanks oh fabulous one!! (Bows)

**Chino-chan**: Wow, Portugal? That's freaking awesome! And yes, as far as I know I think you might be the farthest away reader I have (did that make a lick of sense…lol). Thanks for your review, my hopefully new buuuudddddyyy!

**Inusoul**: Yes, I did say yet, but look at it this way. Inu hasn't cheated on Kagome yet and Kagome hasn't cheated on Inu yet, but will it happen? And if or rather when it does who's going to cheat first? And will he or she be forgiven? Or will it just end their whole relationship and this fic? Ah, things to think about…things to think about…lol. Thanks for your review!!

**MBC**: So, you're routing for the bad guys now, eh? That's just low…lol. Anyway, thanks for your review, my friend!!

**Ryan34**: I can see that you're the type of man that likes to be in control…lol. Nice review, I like that you have it all planned out. So far, is it going the way you wanted it to? (lol) Thanks for your review!!


	48. Doubt

**A/N:** As always, all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness!! Sorry for the long wait once again, but I totally have a good excuse. My laptop that I bought last year is currently in the shop and I'm not supposed to get it back for another 4 to 6 weeks. So, writing and updating has been a little difficult. Thankfully, my wonderful beta keeps back ups of my chapters, isn't she fabulous?!? Anyway this is another long one, so enjoy!! And thanks to all of you out there that voted for this fic. Your votes helped it win Best Drama for the year of 2008, Best Drama 4th Quarter, and 3rd place Best Lemon!! Seriously, if Simonkal of Inuy wasn't flattered before, she sure is now (bows). As usual, to my wonderful beta, Neko, thank you, thank you, thank you!!

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**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, Nola, Dinshu (RIP?), Gage, Takira, Dr. Aikio, Maki, and Moki. All others belong to the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi!!

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**Chapter 48:**

**Doubt**

Leaning back in the plush, leather back chair, Kouga stared at the television without seeing it as he took a sip from his glass.

When he'd started looking for Kagome, he never would've thought it was going to lead to him shooting one of his best-friends or killing him the moment he got back to Kyoto. He hadn't thought that he'd be ordering the rape of a woman, whom he didn't know existed a month ago, or that he'd have to order the murder of his partner in crime, for lack of a better description.

No, he'd thought that he'd locate her whereabouts, and go to her. She'd see him, they'd talk, and then she'd forgive him. That was the way it had always been. That's the way he planned on it going this time, but this…

He took another sip from his glass.

If nothing else, this proved that nothing ever came easy to him. Everything he wanted, he had to fight and scrape for. Everything that he held dear to him, he had to kill and steal for, and still…

He jingled the ice in his glass and laughed to himself.

"I have a wife in Kyoto that I can hardly stand to look at, let alone be around. I have a woman that I lust after, dream about even when I'm awake and I can't touch her. I'm the head of one of the most feared syndicates in Asia, yet I'm still surrounded by idiots and buffoons. I have more money and power than I've ever had in my life, and still I'm miserable," he hissed angrily.

Standing to his feet, Kouga stepped over to the bar of the hotel room he'd moved to after Dinshu's disastrous attempted rape failed, and poured himself another glass of bourbon.

Staring down at it, he frowned to himself, hating that nothing worked out for him. Hating that even in the position of power that he was in, he still felt like he was nothing…a nobody…a fucking commoner.

Reaching down into the pocket of his cream cashmere coat, he pulled out the picture he'd taken from Kagome's office and stared at it as he gnawed at his bottom lip.

He knew he had treated her bad when they were together, he knew that. He knew that he took her for granted, played with her feelings as if she was a toy for his entertainment alone, and acted like nothing less than a chauvinistic pig. And he knew…he knew that in truth, he probably didn't deserve her.

But…but she'd understand, wouldn't she? She'd understand that the last time he was with her was the last time that he could actually remember being happy. She'd understand that even though in the eyes of the law he was married… She'd understand that to him it meant nothing. She'd understand that even though Ayame was supposed to come first, she never would as long as she, Kagome, was alive and breathing. She'd understand…she'd understand that he was sorry for the things he'd done to her, and she'd forgive him, wouldn't she? She'd come back to him, right?

Running his clawed thumb over the glossy picture as she smiled back at him, he whispered, "She'll understand. She'll understand because she always understands and she forgives."

Sensing the arrival of the two demons he'd been waiting on, Kouga slid the picture back into the pocket of his coat, and downed the rest of his drink in one gulp in hopes of quieting his despondent thoughts.

Turning away from the bar, he watched as two dark, smoke filled forms slowly began to take shape, a few feet away from him. As the transformation completed, he questioned, "Is it done?"

"Yes," Moki replied.

"And Kagome?"

"She is fine," Maki advised his voice raspy and low, almost gruff.

Kouga sighed in relief and leaned back against the bar. "Did Dinshu hurt her at all?"

"When we got there he'd already knocked her unconscious," Maki started.

"Other than that, she is fine," Moki finished.

Grinding his teeth together, the wolf youkai hissed coldly, "Which of you killed him?"

The brothers looked at each other knowingly before turning their attention back to Kouga, whom was patiently awaiting an answer.

"Well, which of you do I need to thank?" he questioned again while eying the two of them quizzically.

"Neither," the demons stated in unison.

Kouga stared at them, his blue eyes narrowed slightly. "Explain."

"The hanyou killed him."

Kouga's head tilted slightly to the right as he took his time cogitating over what he'd just heard. In all the time that he'd been looking for Kagome, he hadn't heard one thing about a fucking hanyou. So, exactly who was this bastard?

"Hanyou? You mean half-demon as in half-breed?" Kouga queried evenly.

"Yes," Moki confirmed.

Kouga pushed up off the bar and stepped closer to the brothers. "Who is this hanyou, and why would he intervene? Was he with my woman?"

Maki stared at Kouga, his gaze bored and uninterested.

Moki's expression was copy of his brother's.

"What the fuck! Who the hell is this guy? How the fuck did a fucking half-breed kill Din? Why the hell is he with my fucking woman?" Kouga bellowed irately, his temper starting to get the best of him.

"The hanyou walked in and caught Dinshu attempting to kidnap the woman. They fought, and he tossed him off the 50th story balcony," Moki advised matter-of-factly.

"Are you sure Din's dead?" the crime bosses queried, his eyes glaring daggers into Maki's face. Turning his attention to Moki, he finished, "Just because he fell, doesn't mean his body won't regenerate."

"I assure you, he is no longer of this world," Maki intoned.

Kouga stared at the two demons before him, his mind running a mile a second. _Din's dead? That hanyou… That fucker, he killed Din? A fucking hanyou killed Din?_

Pushing his thoughts to the back of his mind, he snarled at the demons, his fists clenching and releasing, and his breathing increasing with each second that passed. "You two fuckers stood there…and let a fucking mutt kill Din?!" he questioned incredulously.

The bat demons looked at each other, and then back at Kouga as they replied in unison, "You ordered his death, did you not?"

Kouga turned away and stalked towards the door of the room. No, he wasn't mad that Din was dead. The fucker deserved it for forgetting his place! But what pissed him off was that a pathetic little fuck of a half-demon did it! The same fucker that apparently was shacking up with his fucking woman! That's…that's what dug under his skin and had him absolutely livid at the moment!

Turning on them, Kouga snarled through clenched teeth, "Who in the fuck is he? What kind of fucking demon is he mixed with?"

"Dog," Maki declared, before continuing, "His name is Takahashi Inuyasha."

Kouga stared at the younger of the twins dubiously. "Takahashi…Inuyasha, the fucking suit that owns half of fucking Tokyo?" he questioned rhetorically. "That bastard… That…pathetic excuse for a… That prick is with my woman! That fucker killed Din?" he roared in disbelief.

"Why do you seem so surprised?" Moki asked, his tone impassive. "Did you not think that whomever she was with would seek to protect her?"

Kouga growled violently as he stepped swiftly up to the bar, grabbed the glass he'd been drinking from, and threw it furiously at Moki!

The demon's form dissolved in the spot where the glass would've connected and reformed within milliseconds. His expression still blank, Moki blinked lethargically, his charcoal black eyes glistening as if they were silently taunting the wolf demon.

Kouga stared at Moki, his mind racing with thoughts he couldn't control. He needed to get grounded again. He needed time to think, to come up with a new fool-proof plan. He needed to start over, damn it!

After running his hand down his face, he reached back and ran his claws quickly through his long black ponytail as he closed his eyes and willed himself to calm down.

"Are they mated?" the wolf demon growled, not actually wanting to know that answer, but knowing that if he went after a youkai's mate-even if she was just a human woman-he'd be doing more than just breaking a fucking law; he'd be basically opening up the gates of hell, and even he wasn't that stupid to willingly do such a thing!

The bat demons were quiet for a long moment before they replied, "No."

Looking from one brother to the other, he snapped cantankerously, "Good! Now just…just go back to Kyoto, both of you! I'll talk to you both when I get there! Just…just get out of my fucking sight!"

As the demons dissolved and began to drift through the tiny cracks in the window that they'd entered, Kouga stalked towards his bags that were sitting by the door. Picking up one and then the other, he spared just a moment to open the door before he stepped out into the hallway.

He hadn't planned on going home empty handed or without at least talking to Kagome, but with Dinshu's death, he needed to let things cool down a little. Not to mention, he still needed to deal with that fucking traitor, Ginta. And now more than ever, he definitely needed to come up with a way to get Kagome away from that bastard half-breed, even if it meant he'd have to snatch her succulent ass off the side of the street!

To hell with what he _hadn'_t wanted to do!

Things had changed, the moment he learned that she was involved with a prick that was strong enough to overpower a full fucking demon!

_She's with a fucking half-breed! A fucking half-breed! _

He growled low as he sat his bags down and punched the button for the elevator, his face set in such a deep scowl that his forehead and temples started to hurt. "That's fine. That's perfectly fine," he mumbled as the elevator dinged and he picked his bags up and stepped on. "It'll just make it that much easier for me to get rid of him!"

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

His face was a mask of pent up anger as he stared at Ashton, who was racing back and forth across Sesshomaru's expansive backyard.

After he and Kagome had told the police officers their individual stories and after the paramedics had given them both a thorough once-over, he'd made quick work of getting her as far away from his building as he could.

He'd thought about heading to a hotel, but as they climbed into his car and he started to drive, he decided quite quickly that should there be another attempt to get to her, it would be best to be around his brother.

No, he honestly didn't want to carry this type of drama to Sesshomaru's doorstep, especially with the twins there, but he honestly couldn't think of another solitary place where he could take her and damn near guarantee her safety.

As he used his key to gain entrance to the Mansion, he didn't find it necessarily weird that his brother was standing at the top of the stairs seemingly waiting on him either. Of course, he didn't ask any questions, which he rarely ever did. He just turned on his heels and started back down the hall towards his son's bedroom.

After that, the hanyou took Kagome to his old room, which was at the opposite end of the house from the master suite. Once he was sure she was comfortable enough, he excused himself by saying that he needed to take Ashton outside.

That was an almost two hours ago.

Now, he could see tell-tale signs of the sun beginning to crest in the east and smell the morning dew starting to lay thick over the grass that laced the yard before him, and still he couldn't make himself move from where he sat.

He wanted to go up to bed to just be close to her. He wanted to breathe her in, and feel her warm arms wrapped lovingly around his chest. He wanted to inhale the scent of her hair, her skin, her breath, but damn it-

Damn it…damn it he was pissed off!

He shook his head, rubbed his hands together wearily and stared up at the indigo sky above him as he closed his eyes and inhaled in an attempt clear his muddled mind.

"_He climbed into bed with me, and I thought he was Inuyasha at first, but then… He touched me, but…but I stopped him. I…I realized that it wasn't-"_

That was the crux of his problem, wasn't it? Her words to the police officers… Sure, she eventually figured out that it wasn't him, but how could she have actually confused his touch with that goddamn animal's?

He wasn't that bitch Kouga! What he had with her… What they shared was supposed to mean something! It…It was… Fuck, she was supposed to know the difference between him and another fucking man! She was supposed to fucking know!

"Is there a reason why you're out here, and Kagome is inside?" a gentle voice questioned from the doorway.

Glancing over his shoulder at Rin who was wrapped in a thick plush white robe, Inuyasha smirked half-heartedly and turned his attention back to the dog that finally seemed to be calming down.

"Why aren't you still sleeping?"

"The moment I gave birth to Takira and Gage, I stopped sleeping through the night, so it's nothing new," she replied as she stepped up behind him and took a seat on the steps right next to him. Laying her head on his shoulder, Rin scrunched up her shoulders and shivered as if she was cold. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Wrapping his arm around her shoulder, Inuyasha squeezed her forearm gently and pulled her a little closer as he retorted, "Not really, no."

Rin was quiet for a moment before she spoke again, "That's a beautiful animal, Lover. What's his name?"

"Ashton"

"I like that. Did you name him?"

"Nah, Kagome did."

It was quiet for another long moment before either spoke again and Inuyasha couldn't help but to wonder if Sesshomaru had sent her down here because he knew if he needed to talk, she would be the only one he talked to.

"My mate said that he smelled your blood, Inuyasha. What happened?"

The hanyou sighed and removed his arm from around her. He didn't want to worry her, but he knew that he couldn't lie to her either. Sighing heavily, he started slowly, "Someone broke into my place and I ended up fighting the guy."

"Really? Was anyone hurt?"

Inuyasha gnawed on his lower lip as he thought over her question. "Well, Kagome got a bump on the head, but she's fine otherwise; I got a couple of scratches on my chest, and…" He swallowed and finished, "…and the guy is dead."

Rin gasped and turned towards him. "Dead?"

"Yeah, dead. It couldn't be helped; it was either me or him."

Rin chewed on the inside of her jaw as she stared out at the forest lining her backyard. "Kagome saw this?"

"Some of it."

"She must be more than a little traumatized after witnessing something like that."

_Traumatized? _Inuyasha thought as he eyed Rin curiously. He hadn't actually thought of it like that, but he supposed that seeing someone die or rather get tossed off a 50th story balcony could be rather jarring.

"I should go talk to her," Rin stated quickly as she attempted to stand up, but was stopped by the sound of her brother-in-laws voice and a firm grip on her wrist.

"No, let her sleep."

"Lover, she probably needs companionship or just to talk or cry even."

He shook his head, and replied snappily, "She's going home tomorrow. She'll have all the companionship she needs then." There it was, the second possible reason for his anger.

Rin stared at him as if she didn't know who she was looking at, before sitting back down beside him. "What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing's wrong with me," he intoned as if he honestly hadn't a clue as to what she was going on about.

Reaching up, Rin slapped him lovingly on the back of his head. "What's wrong with you, Inuyasha? She's probably up there crying her eyes out!"

"Feh, please. She's not crying."

"That's beside the point!" Rin snapped as she turned her attention away from him and towards the black chow that was trotting towards them. "If I were in her shoes, I don't think I'd be able to let Sesshomaru leave my side. I would need to know that he was physically there and if he wasn't-"

"She didn't ask me to stay with her!" he snapped, cutting her off. Snorting out something caught between a laugh and a growl, he sneered, "The first thing she said to me was that she wanted to go home to Kyoto." He glanced at Rin, his eyes holding every ounce of emotion that he was feeling internally. "You wouldn't have said that. You…you…you would never even think of running from Sesshomaru or me, but she...Kagome…"

"Of course, I wouldn't. I wouldn't have anywhere else to go. Sesshomaru, you, Gage, and Takira, you guys are all I have. So no, I'd never run from you. But that doesn't mean that sometimes I don't consider it." Noticing that he wasn't looking at her, Rin reached up and grabbed his chin. Turning his face towards her, she finished, "Lover, are you sure you're not thinking about this too much? Have you talked to Kagome about this? Maybe she has a reason for wanting to go home."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and ran his hand down his face as he totally dismissed Rin's statements altogether and blurted, "Feh, you and Sesshomaru are mates, that's totally different from me and Kagome's situation."

"How's it different, Inuyasha? I know that I'll live out the rest my life with him, and you and Kagome haven't decided yet?" Rin questioned irritably, since it was clear to her that at this point her dearly loved brother-in-law was practicing selective listening.

Inuyasha kissed his teeth and snapped brusquely, "You'd know the difference between Sesshomaru's touch and another person's touch wouldn't you? I mean you can tell the difference in the way I touch you and the way he touches you, can't you?"

Okay, so he hadn't meant to ask that, but the cat was out of the bag, he couldn't really take it back now. Rolling his eyes, the hanyou turned away and reached for Ashton's collar in order to pull the dog closer to him. He could tell from the look on Rin's face that she thought he'd just lost his everlasting mind, so he started to stand up, but stopped at the sound of her reply.

"In the right situation, I don't think I could."

Inuyasha stared at her, a skeptical scowl on his face. "Whatever," he hissed frivolously.

"No, I wouldn't be able to tell. For instance, if I were in a dark room and I thought I was there with Sesshomaru why would I expect it to be someone else? Even if the room wasn't dark, if your brother and I were out somewhere and someone tall and slim like your brother walked up behind me and put their arms around my waist or my shoulders why should I think that it's anyone else?"

"Feh, that's stupid! How can you not know the person that you're mated too and have been sleeping with for a little more than five years?"

Rin stood to her feet. "Inuyasha, I'm not a youkai and I'm damn sure not a hanyou. I don't have heightened senses of touch, smell or sound. I'm human and so is Kagome. Maybe you need to take that into account before you cause problems where there are none."

The hanyou stared at Rin as she knelt down and patted Ashton's head before running her fingers through his fur repeatedly while she talked to the animal in a whiny voice that she used a little too often on his nephews.

The longer he sat there watching her, it seemed like the more pissed off he became. He couldn't honestly say why that was, but it just… The whole fucking situation, Kagome wanting to go home and the fact that she'd allowed some fucker to touch her…to touch what was his, was pissing him the fuck off more with every second that trickled by.

He was livid that she didn't just outright know that she was in bed with someone that wasn't him, and he was upset… Well, hurt, that after he risked his life to protect her, the first thing out of her fucking mouth was, _"I want to go home."_

Did she not think that he was capable of protecting her? Hadn't she seen that much? Did she not think that he'd worry about her every second that she was gone? Didn't she think…didn't she know that he'd almost lost his mind when he realized that she was wrapped up in that comforter? Didn't she understand what him killing for her meant? Fuck, didn't she understand anything? Or was she really that fucking stupid?

"Forget it!" he snapped, standing abruptly to his feet.

"Inuyasha, why are you so stressed about this?" Rin queried urgently, gripping his much larger hand in her own. "You protected her. You saved her from a fate that is best left unknown. Yet you're angry, upset, and…" She stepped closer to him, turned his face towards her and finished, "You seem so hurt…heartbroken. What aren't you telling me?"

"If you know that I protected her then why doesn't she know that? Why does she want to go home?" he spat as if he'd just eaten a piece of rotten fruit.

Rin stared at him, her eyes filled with empathy. "Lover, maybe her reason for wanting to go home has nothing to do with you. Maybe she just wants to be around her blood relatives."

"I'm…" Inuyasha growled, his fist balling up so tight that his claws dug into the skin of his hands. "I fucking protected her, Rin! Me! Not her _family_! And she wants to run to them?" His eyes narrowed dangerously and his teeth clenched as he hissed, "I'm the only family she needs. Why doesn't she realize that?"

At this point, he was talking the truth of his heart, but his mind wasn't fully recognizing everything that he was saying.

Rin smiled ruefully up at him as she stepped closer to him. "Lover, you're not her family. She's just your girlfriend." She stepped closer to him as he eyed her closely. Lifting her hand, she placed it gently on the side of his cheek and asked earnestly, "By the way you're acting one would think that your mate was attempting to leave you, Inuyasha. Is…is she your mate? Have you chosen her?"

Refusing to even give thought to that question, the hanyou shook his head and shoved his hands in his pockets. "That has nothing to do with anything. How the hell can she just want to leave me like that?"

"From what you've told me, she's not saying she wants to leave you; she's just saying that she wants to visit her family and honestly, Lover, I don't see anything wrong with that. Especially after what she's been through."

The hanyou's entire body seemed to deflate just a little as he hung his head. He knew she was right. Kagome wasn't really trying to leave him-at least he hoped she wasn't-she simply needed to be with her mother, but…but still… Even knowing that, he just…just couldn't fathom not being with her. He didn't know how to entertain the thought of not having her next to him or at least within driving distance of him.

"Inuyasha, maybe you shouldn't be fighting this as much as you are. Maybe you should let her go and use the time to figure out what it is you expect from this relationship," Rin offered.

The hanyou bit down on the inside of his jaw as he stared down at her. He didn't want to have this conversation with her because honestly he wasn't really sure exactly why he was feeling what he was. He couldn't rightfully pinpoint exactly what part of the night upset him most and even as he cogitated over it now, he just…

Takahashi stepped away from Rin and towards the railing of the patio. Gripping the rails tightly, he hissed, "I feel like I'm losing my mind, Rin. I can barely think straight when she's around, but when she's gone, I feel like I'm fucking drowning." He raised his head and stared up at the brightening sky above. "When I walked in and I noticed that that bastard was trying to take her from me, I lost it. I…I…It took everything in me to not totally gut his fucking ass!" He sighed and lowered his head as he finished, "Sometimes I hate her for how weak she makes me feel, but then I…I love that feeling just as much. She…she drives me crazy and crawls so far under my skin that at times I feel her as if she was a part of me."

Inuyasha gripped his chest and glanced back at his sister-in-law. "Even now, I feel her as if she was right here with me; as if I was laying in bed next to her."

"Lover-" she started to say but he cut her off with a shake of his head.

"No, maybe you're right. Maybe I need her to leave just as badly as she wants to leave. Maybe that will be best for the both of us."

Rin shot him a soft empathetic look that he absolutely loathed, but he found it almost impossible to do anything about it. She stepped quickly towards him, snaked her arms around his neck, and pulled him into a tight hug as she whispered softly, "It sounds like you're falling in love, Inuyasha, and for real this time."

As he hugged her back, his mind still reeling, he couldn't really find a response for that, because falling in love was just not one of the answers he'd been entertaining as a reason for why he felt the way he did.

_Falling in love? Is this what it really feels like? Is losing your fucking mind a sign of falling in love? If it is…If this is what it really feels like, I see why demon's only seriously do it once?_

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

Sunrays forced their way between her closed eyelids causing her to groan and cover her eyes with her forearm in an attempt to hold onto the sleep that she had clumsily found sometime in the early morning hours.

Stretching out her hand, she reached for the warm body that was always next to her as of lately, but found nothing.

Her eyes opened slowly and she turned and looked towards the opposite side of the bed. It was untouched as if he'd never lain next to her.

Sitting up, she stretched her arms over head and yawned as she stared around the room that she remembered him telling her was his room from when he was younger.

The room was easily two times bigger than her own bedroom with walls painted passion red, and a plush oak queen size bed that sat so far off the floor that it required steps. The bed sat in the middle of the room accompanied by two nightstands, and the walls were bare with the exception of a picture of a beautiful ferocious white dog that appeared to be racing through the clouds.

She didn't know why, but it reminded her of a Feudal Fairytale; a story that her grandfather had told to her and her brother on one to many nights.

It was about a magical demon dog that could morph into a man at will. He supposedly ruled the western portion of Japan for centuries during a time when demon's ruled the four corners of the earth, and humans were enslaved and killed at will. Anyway, he was said to be a different type of ruler-one that was not only feared, but also respected by all. Sadly though, one night after a ferocious battle, he attempted to save his love interest-a human Princess-and his son, who was being held captive by his enemies. On that faithful night and because he dared to love a human in a time when that was not looked upon kindly, he was slain.

_Love stories never end well, do they, _she questioned to herself as she spared another moment to stare up at the work of art.

Pushing the heavy black and gold striped duvet off of her, Kagome stepped down out of the bed and pulled on a pair of sweat pants that she'd discarded a few hours earlier and made her way quickly towards the door.

She knew where they were, and if for that reason alone she desperately needed to find him.

Running her hands through her mussed hair as she opened the bedroom door and stepped into the hallway, she stopped short as she came eye to eye with Sesshomaru.

"Uhm, sorry, I…"

He scowled down at her and took a hesitant step back as he eyed her curiously. "You're not going to start leaking again are you?"

Kagome blushed and looked at everything but him before glancing back and affirming, "No. I'm…I'm looking for Inuyasha." She gnawed on her lip before he responded and added with a bow, "I'm so sorry about that. I'm…I'm sorry for everything that I've done to you and in front of you that may have seemed less than admirable."

"Apology accepted," the demon stated as he stepped towards her and started down the stairs ahead of her. Noticing that she wasn't following, he added, "He's in the dining room with his lover."

"His lover?" Kagome questioned unable to keep the confusion she was feeling out of her voice.

"Yes, his lover, my mate, Rin."

"They're lovers?" she questioned, her voice laced with incredulity.

"Perhaps you should ask the both of them about that. I stopped asking questions awhile ago."

As he reached the bottom step, Sesshomaru stopped and turned towards her, his face unreadable. "How are you feeling, Higurashi?" Before she could answer, he finished, "Perhaps I should have asked you that in the beginning."

Kagome blushed and bowed again. "I'm fine. I…I just need Inuyasha."

Sesshomaru stared at her for a long moment before he turned and started through the foyer and down another long hallway.

As they turned another corner, Kagome could hear a woman laughing and she tried to strain her hearing to listen in, but her attempt was cut off when a black blur zipped past Sesshomaru and almost tackled her.

"I assume he's yours," the dog demon stated without stopping as she paused to pat Ashton's head lightly.

"Yes, he's mine. I hope you don't mind him being here."

"I had no say-so in the matter," he replied coolly as he disappeared around another corner.

Running to catch up with him, Kagome stopped short as she stepped into a brightly lit kitchen that was massive by anyone's comparison. The room was absolutely beautiful, lined with rich oak cabinets accented by golden knobs, a large crystal chandelier that hung over a marble island and the floors were laced with a version of marble tile that she hadn't seen before.

"Kagome, you're up," Rin stated cheerily as she stepped away from Inuyasha who had yet to turn and acknowledge her.

Tearing her attention away from the back of his head, she smiled and greeted her with a bow, "Good morning, Rin. You have a beautiful home."

"Please, it's not mine. Their mother designed this; I just married into it," she replied stepping up to her and giving her a hug.

Have a seat next to Inuyasha, I'm cooking breakfast this morning so you'll have to suffer through it," Rin grinned as she stepped up to Sesshomaru and slipped her arm around his waist while he slowly sipped a fresh cup of coffee.

Taking a seat next to Inuyasha, she smiled and declared, "I'm sure whatever you fix will be delicious."

Rin said something back to her, but she didn't hear her because her attention turned to Inuyasha who was sitting there staring into a cup of dark black coffee as if he was trying to ignore her.

Leaning over in her seat she kissed his cheek lightly and whispered, "I missed you this morning. Why didn't you come to bed?"

The hanyou tapped a claw on the marble counter top but still didn't look at her nor did he answer her.

"Inuyasha?"

He sighed and glanced at Rin before daring a look at her. "How you feeling?"

Kagome stared at him, her eyes narrowed. "What's your problem, Takahashi?"

He shook his head and questioned again, "How are you feeling?"

"I would feel much better if you explain to me why you didn't come to bed."

The hanyou sighed lightly as he fingered the handle of his mugs. "I wasn't really tired. Besides, since you're going home, you'll have to get used to sleeping without me anyway, right?"

Before Kagome could allow his response to soak in, Rin interrupted quickly as if she was trying to stave off an argument, "Kagome would you care for some coffee, tea or juice?"

She tore her eyes away from Inuyasha. "Juice, please."

The hanyou stood to his feet and yawned tiredly as he stretched his arms over his head. Grabbing his coffee cup, he stated quickly, "Well, I'm going to go call Nya so she can make your travel arrangements. I'll see if she can get you on the earliest flight possible." Turning his attention to Rin, he stated, his voice softening, "Call me when breakfast is ready, I'll be outside with Ashton."

Turning away from his retreating back, Kagome stared from Sesshomaru, who was skimming through the morning paper to Rin, whom was looking at her with an apologetic expression on her face.

"Don't worry about him," Rin advised cutting into her thoughts. "He's never been a morning person."

Kagome knew that was crap, because in all the time that she'd been with him, he was never in a bad mood in the morning. Forcing a smile, she stated, "Well, maybe I should go talk to him."

"Maybe you should," Sesshomaru interjected absently as he picked up his cup of coffee and started out the kitchen with his newspaper. "That's generally what 'the girlfriend' does, is it not?"

Kagome rolled her eyes at him before turning her attention back to Rin.

"Don't pay him any mind, he's always like that," Rin offered in defense of her husband's snide remark.

_Yeah, sure he is, _Kagome thought sarcastically as she stared down into her glass of juice trying to figure out exactly how she got mixed with these Takahashi's in the first place.

Rin stared at her for a long moment before she spoke softly, "They're really not that bad. You just have to know how to train them." Turning away, she finished, "They are dog demons after all."

Kagome stared at the young woman's back as she cracked a few eggs in a bowl and started seasoning it. She didn't know what it was about Rin, but from the moment she'd met her at the office, she been comfortable with her. Of course, they'd never hung out or anything like that, but there was an air about her that was just welcoming.

"So I hear that you plan on heading back home to Kyoto."

Shaking off her thoughts, Kagome retorted, "Yeah, but only for a little while."

"I see," Rin offered. "Will Inuyasha be going with you?"

Kagome blinked, her mouth opening and closing like a caught fish. No, she hadn't thought about Inuyasha going with her, or how he would feel about her leaving. Quite honestly, she hadn't given herself time to even entertain the thought.

"Uhm, no, we haven't discussed that," she replied softly.

"I see," Rin replied pouring the egg batter into a cast iron skillet.

The silence dragged on between the two women before Kagome swallowed convulsively and said, "I know you owe no allegiance to me, Rin, but if I ask you a question would you answer me honestly?"

Rin turned to face her, a pair of scissors in her hand that she was using to cut into a pack of imported sausage. "I only owe allegiance to my mate, Kagome, but I generally don't make it a habit of lying."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you, I-"

Laughing, Rin interrupted, "Think nothing of it. What do you want to know?" She grinned mischievously and finished, "…if Inuyasha is seeing someone else?"

Kagome blushed. "No, I wanted to know if he's spoken to you about why he's upset. I know him not being a morning person has nothing to do with it. I…I wanted to know if maybe he talked to you, because holding his tongue isn't really one of his specialties, regardless of the situation."

Rin frowned thoughtfully before she answered, "Yes, he talked to me about it."

Noticing that the woman had no plans of continuing, Kagome asked, "Well, does it have something to do with me? Did I do something wrong?"

Stepping towards the island that Kagome was sitting at, Rin set the scissors down on the counter and leaned forward as she began softly, her eyes holding a twinkle as if she knew something that Kagome didn't, "Well, I'll tell you this. Sometimes the things one says in the heat of the moment can leave a truly bitter taste in one's mouth."

_What? _Kagome thought, one eyebrow raised slightly higher than the other._ What the hell is she talking about?_

"I think the two of you need to talk before you leave for Kyoto," Rin clarified with a wink.

Kagome stared at Rin for a long moment before she nodded in understanding and stood to her feet, her glass of juice in her hand. "Thanks, Rin, I think I'll have that talk with him now."

"Oh, Kagome, give him a hug; that always seems to get him to open up to me."

Taking another sip from her glass, Kagome set it down on the counter and smiled in acknowledgment of Rin's advice, knowing that if Inuyasha didn't step down off his high horse the only thing he was going to get was a slap across the face.

Hell, after what she'd been through in the past few hours, she was the only one that should've had an attitude. After all, wasn't she the one that was almost kidnapped, wasn't she the one that was practically molested, and wasn't she the one that had to sit there and watch her boyfriend toss someone over a balcony?

So, if he knew what was good for him, he would check his attitude at the door and talk to her about whatever was bothering him, before she just happened to catch an attitude of her own.

Traversing through the massive house, she quickly found the door that led to the patio and the backyard where he and Ashton were.

Stepping onto the porch, she immediately noticed him sitting with his back to her staring out into the forest that surrounded the massive yard.

Shuffling closer to him, she stepped down on the top step and sat down right next to him, her shoulder touching his. Sighing lightly since he still hadn't acknowledged her, Kagome stated softly as she stared at Ashton who was happily chasing his tail, "Takahashi, if I didn't say it before, I want to say it now. Thank you for coming back when you did. Thank you for…for always saving me; for taking care of me when you don't have to."

He glanced down at her, his lips turned up slightly at the corners. His eyes told her that he wanted to keep that transparent wall up between them in order to hold onto whatever had him peeved. But as his arm shifted and he wrapped it around her, pulling her into his side, she knew that whatever it was that he was upset about, he'd probably just let it go.

The hanyou sighed lightly and leaned his head down against hers, rubbing the side of his head against hers. He couldn't explain how just her being close to him could disarm him in such away, but it did, and he was thankful because of it.

"Have I told you just how much I hate you?" he whispered softly, his tone saying the exact opposite.

"No, not today you haven't," she retorted, her tone gentle and soothing.

Staring down at her, Inuyasha pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind as he pulled her a little closer and sighed. "There weren't any more flights available today to Kyoto, so I had Nya commission a private jet that Sesshomaru and Rin use; it should be ready by 3 this afternoon."

Kagome pushed back away from him, her eyes narrowed quizzically. "Inuyasha, when I said I wanted to go home, I didn't mean today."

"Well you didn't really say _not_ today either, did you?"

"If I didn't know any better I would think that maybe you're trying to get rid of me," Kagome quipped mildly. Noticing the way he looked away from her, she continued as she laid her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes, "Last night when _he_ was trying to attack me, I kept trying to remember the sound of my brother's laughter and I couldn't. I also tried to remember the length of my mother's hair and the feel of her hands, but for the life of me, I just couldn't remember."

The hanyou glanced down at her, but didn't attempt to interrupt her as she continued.

"The only thing I could remember was the color of your eyes, the feel of your hands, and the sound of your voice, Inuyasha. You…you've consumed so much of my life…my time that I felt guilty. I _feel_ guilty because I couldn't remember the things that I should have been able to remember about them. They're my family. I was like a second mother my brother, and my mother is like one of my best friends and I couldn't remember the tiniest most insignificant things about them."

Takahashi ran his hand down his face and inhaled deeply. He understood now. He understood that maybe Rin was right; her wanting to go home didn't mean she was leaving him. She just needed to reconnect with the only family she'd ever known.

All of a sudden he felt really stupid for being angry with her before…for doubting her and allowing his thoughts to run away from him.

What kind of man would he be if he even attempted to stand between her and her family? What kind of fool was he to have even considered making her choose between them and him, and he'd considered it.

Takahashi licked his lips and closed his eyes as he spoke softly, "I'm not going to lie to you, I don't want you to go, but…but I do understand why you need to. Not, that you're asking my permission, which you don't have to, but I think you should go."

Kagome glanced up at him and smiled as his words from earlier that morning spun through her head. "Inuyasha, is that why you were so standoffish this morning?"

He didn't respond, so she took that as a yes.

"Inuyasha, why don't you come with me? Why don't you come home with me?"

Takahashi smiled as he snorted out something that sounded like a laugh or possibly a cough. "Maybe next time. Besides, I still need to finish my statement to the cops, and make sure that the repairs go as planned to my place. Not to mention, I have work that I've been neglecting over the past few weeks."

Kagome knew he was making up excuses, because if he really wanted to go with her, he'd shuck his duties at work like he normally did, and make Nya or Rin oversee the repairs to his condo. However, she wouldn't call him on his line of crap, because he more than likely had a reason for not wanting to come with her.

"Well if you change your mind, you'll know where I am."

"Damn wench, how long are you planning on being gone, because you're acting like you're not coming back or something."

"I'm not sure; maybe two or three weeks." She could tell that he didn't seem to like that too much, but like she said before, he was going to know where she was.

They were quiet for a moment before he spoke again, his voice holding no sign of joking, "Kagome, last night when that guy, Dinshu got in bed with you; how…how did you realize it wasn't me?"

Several minutes passed before she grabbed his hand, interlacing her fingers with his. "I…I was afraid of him. Even before he tried to attack me when he was trying to act as if he were you, I was afraid of him." She sighed lightly and finished, "I've never doubted your touch or been afraid of you and last night, I was, or at least I was afraid of the idea of you. So, that's how I knew."

The hanyou stared at her for a long moment before he leaned in and kissed her lightly on the temple. "The next time you let another man touch you like that, Wench, you and I are going to have serious problems."

"Inuyasha, I didn't know. I tried to stop him. I…I-" she tried to defend herself sensing the seriousness in his words, but he cut her off.

"I know you did everything you could do, but if I didn't say what I just said, it would eat at me and cause problems between us. I'm a selfish man, Kagome. I don't share very well and I don't plan on learning how too. If you're with _me_ then I need you to be with _me_." He pushed back and stared down at her as he finished, "I don't want to have to worry about who you're with, what you're doing, or whether I can trust you. I need to know that you _know_ me, I need to know that I can trust you with something as important as my heart, and something as trivial as my wallet."

Kagome shook her head and replied, "Takahashi, I would never betray you in such a way. Not willingly, anyway. I don't know what this is that we have or where it's going, but I like it, and I want to hold on to it for as long as you let me. So the last thing that I'd even consider doing is anything that would jeopardize that." Her voice was just above a whisper but holding enough sincerity that he'd know that she meant every word she said.

Staring up at him, a contrite look on her face, Kagome leaned forward, kissed him softly, slowly, once, twice, and three times then stated, "I understand what you need from me, Inuyasha, but I need those same things from you."

Running the backs of his knuckles down her cheek tenderly, Inuyasha smiled genuinely, his eyes softening tellingly, but he didn't respond, because his answer was not one that he could tell her. He'd have to show her, and he would do that.

"Breakfast!" they both heard Rin shout, which caused them to look away from one another as Kagome's stomach growled loudly.

Chuckling, the hanyou stood to his feet, pulling her up behind him. "Well, let's get you something to eat, and then we need to get you packed."

Slipping her fingers into his, Kagome smiled softly and declared quietly, "Are you sure you don't want to come with me?"

The hanyou squeezed her hand, but didn't reply verbally as they continued over the threshold and into his brother's home.

**Until Next Time…** (I told you guys it was long!! Anyway, your .02 cents is greatly appreciated!!)

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**Next Chapter**: Gone, Baby Gone

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**Acknowledgements:** (All others have been sent PM's)

**RSV:** Thanks for your wonderful review, my friend. And yes, I like the badass softie as well.

**Jin:** Thanks for your vote, dear heart!! Heart's Landfill won three awards and Best Drama for 2008!! All thanks to you, I'm sure!! Thanks again for your support!!

**Menaii**: Yes, you are still the fabulous one!! And why does everyone think Dinshu isn't dead? Am I really that evil and or twisted? (lol) Thanks for your continued support, my wonderful friend!!

**Inusoul**: Slow it down, sugar pop!! We haven't even gotten to Kyoto yet! (lol) Where all hell just might break loose. Thanks for your wonderful review my overzealous friend!!

**Wolfie**: I'm so glad that you enjoyed the last chapter, and I also found that part with Ashton and Inu funny. While I was writing I was thinking about my little black Shiatsu that ran away about a year ago. She used to get on my nerves so bad sometimes, but she did the most adorable things. Thanks for your review, my friend!!


	49. Gone, Baby Gone

**A/N**: As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness!! **One-sided Lemon Warning!! **I'm not feeling very chatty today, so I'll say, thanks to everyone that read and reviews this fic. You guys are awesome. And to my brilliant, magnificent beta, much love, thank you!!

**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, Nola, Dinshu, Takira, Gage, Dr. Aikio, Maki, and Moki. All others belong to the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi.

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**Chapter 49**

**Gone, Baby Gone**

Warm, so fucking warm…

He drew closer, nestled his head into softness and sighed happily as he pulled back and kissed into the softness that was her, 'the girlfriend'.

He was so tired that he couldn't think and honestly didn't want to. He just wanted to remain here, wrapped in her warmth, nestled against her back.

The hanyou ran his hand around her belly and pulled her a little closer. He rocked against her back-side and whispered incoherently into her ear, but his eyes remained closed. His mind a thousand miles away stuck in an oblivion that he welcomed with open arms.

Her scent surrounded him, invading every orifice of his mind, his soul, and told him that he was home; he need not look any further.

He smiled into her back, and shifted his head since her hair was starting to tickle his nose, but he didn't attempt to move away from her because for the first time in a very long time, his soul was at peace; it felt happy, content, and truly satisfied.

His hand moved down her belly to her abdomen.

"Wench, when did you stop shaving?" he mumbled, his eyes still closed as his member started growing harder and harder by the second.

He thought he heard a whine that sounded like Ashton, but he didn't think much about that because his mind was focused on her.

His hand trailed further down her body.

The warmth of it… The softness, drew him in, promising him pleasure unlike anything he'd ever felt.

His fingers continued their track, his claws parting the hair that covered her cave.

His hand stilled, his eyes snapped open and the hanyou growled furiously as he stared at the black fur lying directly in front of him, locked in his arms.

"Gods fuck!" he hissed as he angrily shoved the animal away from him and sat up!

Glaring at Ashton, who came running back towards the bed as if they were playing a game, Inuyasha hissed, "You fucking pervert! How the hell… Why the hell didn't you tell me that _you_ were _you _and not _her_?"

Ashton sprang back up on the bed and licked his face playfully.

The hanyou in return pushed the animal away abrasively and swung his legs off the opposite side of the bed!

"Damn it! You…you…" he hissed as he ran his hand down his face in an exasperated manner.

He wanted to blame the dog, damn if he didn't! But he knew it was his fault! No, no it wasn't his fault; it was her fault; all her fucking fault that he damn near molested her dog!

It had only been two days since he dropped Kagome off at the airport, kissed her goodbye, and died just a little inside. And it had only been 8 or so hours since he last spoke to her and told her that he wasn't missing her at all, and that if she wanted to stay longer she could, he'd be fine with that.

_She better not even think about that, or I'll…I'll fucking die!_

Glaring over at Ashton, who was now sitting down on the floor in front of him, the hanyou narrowed his eyes and growled before pushing himself to his feet.

Running his clawed hands through his mussed hair, he stared around the bedroom that wasn't his and groaned as he inhaled, her scent driving him to brink of insanity and saving him all at once.

After dropping her off, he'd gone back to Rin and Sesshomaru's house and tried to get some rest; however, the minute the pups started crying, he'd made quick work of utilizing the key that Kagome had given him, so that he could collect her mail while she was away.

Of course, it wasn't his intention to stay at her place without her being there. He was just going to take nap, and then head to a hotel, at least that's what he told himself.

Anyway, when she'd called him later that night and he'd explained to her that he was actually in her bed sleeping, she'd said that she thought that was a really sweet thing for him to do. She then said that she didn't mind if he stayed there the entire time that she was gone, and so he decided that he'd stay at least until the repairs to his condo were complete.

_That damn woman is always setting me up for failure, _he thought annoyingly as he glanced down at his dick that was hard as a rock, and grimaced. Shoving it back into the slit of his boxer briefs, he rolled his head to the side slowly in an effort to loosen up his stiff joints as he started around the bed and towards the bathroom.

Ashton barked loudly behind him, but he continued on as he hissed over his shoulder, "Let me piss first, will you?" He knew the dog was hungry, but that was definitely going to come second to him draining his bladder.

Sparing just a moment to glance at his reflection in the mirror, the hanyou tried to make quick work of pissing, but it seemed like the blood flow that was rushing to that area was blocking his urethra. So, he did the only thing he could, he stood there, and he stood there, and he stood there thinking of every unattractive thing he could in order to make his member cease it current stiffness.

_Sesshomaru in a hot pink bikini… Yeah, that's it. Sesshomaru wearing a leopard print tutu prancing around the backyard… Totosai skinny dipping with pink flowers in his hair… Oh, yeah that's it. I feel it coming. It's…it's almost there. _

His train of thought almost worked until his mind twisted and swerved and suddenly a dark haired beauty was standing before him butt ass naked with the most vibrant colored flowers placed in her hair, her body glistening with a soft sheen of moisture.

_Fuck! No! No! No! Not the girlfriend, not the fucking girlfriend, _he hissed silently as he leaned forward heavily, his head almost colliding with the wall above the toilet.

Catching himself with his hand that wasn't holding his dick, Inuyasha cursed under his breath about a trifling woman that needed to be pleasing him rather than miles a fucking way doing god knows what with god knows who!

Backing away from the toilet, he stomped towards the glass shower, his hand still grasping his swollen member. Pulling the door open, he decided quite quickly that a cold shower would do him some good.

After making quick work of turning on the cold water full blast and adding just a touch of hot water, he quickly stripped out of his boxers and stepped into the shower.

The water ran swiftly down his body cooling his temperature and for that he was thankful.

_That's good, that's real good._

Sticking his head directly under the water, he allowed his eyes to close and the soothing aroma of the bath soaps and various other things that Kagome used on a daily basis to take him away.

Warming the water slightly, he thought, _When I get my fucking hands on her, I swear…_ as he grabbed the soap and started to lather his chest, down his arms, and then down to his groin where his hand stilled.

His eyes opened momentarily only to close again as his head fell back and his mind started to drift, a smile slowly spreading over his face.

His hand moved down, then ran the length of his member and lathered it from the head back down the length of his shaft. Allowing the soap to slip from his hands, he moaned as his hand tightened around it and slowly began pumping back and forth in a slow rhythmic way.

"Yeah, baby, just like that," he whispered softly.

He gripped it tighter, making sure to be careful of his claws as he twisted the skin and jerked it back a few more times.

He was inside her, riding her grooves. She was grinding back against him, raking her nails down his back as she whispered for him to go faster, harder, deeper.

His hand quickened and his head fell forward as he brought up his free hand and placed it on the wall in front of him to catch his balance.

"_Take it, Inuyasha, take it," _he heard her whisper and his hips bucked into his hand as he rode back on his own staff repeatedly, simulating the manner in which he would if she was actually there before him.

"I'm coming baby, I'm fucking coming. Just…just hold it right there," he growled as nerves in his body sprang to life all at once. "Fuck, you like this, don't you? Tell me you like it? Say my name, baby! Spell it! You fucking… God damn…"

In his head she was screaming his name, telling him that he was the best fuck she'd ever had, and whispering other incoherent little things that were only for his ears.

He shivered, trembled and almost fell to his knees as sensations raced up and down his spine and his head fell forward, a growl slipping from him as his seed spurted out of him and onto the wall and the floor of the shower.

"D…amn," he whispered breathlessly.

After taking a few minutes to catch his breath, the hanyou grabbed the bottle of shampoo and began to lather his hair, his loins satiated for the time beginning.

45 minutes later, he stepped out of the shower semi-revitalized and nowhere near ready to face another day without 'the girlfriend'. He supposed however, that he really didn't have a choice at all in the situation.

Pulling a towel down off the rack, he quickly wrapped it around his waist, and reached for another one, so that he could towel off his upper body and his hair.

When he was little, he'd forego using a towel altogether and just shake the water off, but after being reprimanded by his mother and father on one too many occasions, he supposed that he grew out of it.

Ashton barked and whined snappily, and the hanyou groaned having forgotten about the animal and the fact that he was probably hungry.

Tossing the towel he was using on his hair into the dirty clothes basket that Kagome kept under the bathroom sink, he started out the bathroom heading in the direction of kitchen so that he could fix the animal something to eat.

"Come on, mutt."

Stepping into the kitchen, the hanyou grabbed the bag of dog food from the cabinet, poured some into the pups' bowl, and then pulled the ice tray from the freezer and dropped the cubs into the water side of the bog bowl. He figured that way, Ashton wouldn't be able to drink all the water at once, and it would be ice cold. Therefore, it was a win-win, wasn't it?

Stepping away from the bowl when he was done, he started to turn down the hallway, but stopped at the sound of someone knocking on the door.

_What the hell? No one knows I'm here except Kagome and Sesshomaru, _he thought quickly before he decided to ignore it and instead go get dressed.

However, the knocking didn't go away, it only became more persistent, so he turned and stomped towards the door determined to give whoever it was a piece of his mind.

Foregoing looking through the peephole, he unlocked the door and pulled it open. "What the hell do you-" He stopped short and stared at the person, a slow smirk forming on his face.

"Don't tell me you actually thought you could hide from me?"

The hanyou grinned as he crossed his arms over his bare chest. "Can't fault me for trying, can you?"

Nya glared at him, giving him her most formidable stare, but didn't answer his question that could only be rhetorical. Looking at him from head to toe and back again, she looked away quickly as she noticed that he was actually naked under the towel he wore wrapped around his waist.

"Maybe…Maybe you should go put something on," she suggested.

The hanyou glanced down at his nakedness and back up at her flushed face and grinned. "What, you can't take all this manliness after being with that munchkin you call a husband?"

Nya's head snapped towards him, and she stepped into the apartment, forcefully pushing him aside. "Just go put something on, Takahashi, before I sue you for sexual harassment! Besides, I'm sure Kagome would not appreciate you showing off your goodies like that!"

The hanyou chuckled as he closed the door and turned towards her. "Whatever. Anyway, how did you find me?"

"Your brother told me where you were."

"Really? And instead of calling you just decided to show up?"

Nya stared around the apartment as if taking the place in slowly. "Well, if I had called you, would you have answered?"

The hanyou shrugged his shoulders and started towards the kitchen as he intoned, "I might have, but you'll never know, now will you?"

"Whatever. So, when will the work be done on your place?"

"The early part of next week, why? You don't like the idea of me staying here?" he queried as he took a bottle of water from the refrigerator, opened it, and swigged half of it in one gulp. "I knew you had feelings for me, Nya, but don't you think you're acting a little too jealous?"

"Oh please, don't flatter yourself," Nya blustered as she started towards the couch, sat down and began to open up her attaché case she had brought with her. Setting the documents she needed him to sign on the table before her, she glanced back up at the hanyou, who seemed a little too comfortable being half naked in front of her and snapped, "Just go put some damn clothes on, would you?"

Inuyasha chuckled as he tossed the empty water bottle into the recycle bin. "Yeah, yeah fine. I don't want to waste all this sexiness on you anyway," he declared jokingly as he adjusted the towel around his waist, tightening it, and slowly ran his hand down his bare chest.

"Lord of hosts, what the hell happened to you? What the hell did she do to you to make you so…so damn stuck on yourself?" Nya hissed, staring at his arrogantly smirking face. "I swear, I almost miss the serious depressed version of yourself," she finished, pulling a pen from her purse and setting it down on the stack of documents.

"Ah, come on, Nosey Nya, you're the one that told me that I needed to move on and start another relationship, didn't you? And now that I have one, you're complaining?" Not waiting on her to reply, he quipped as he started out of the kitchen and down the hallway to Kagome's room, "Women, I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't."

As he disappeared into the room, she shouted, "What part of my wanting that, meant you becoming an insufferable prick?" She heard him chuckle, but he didn't respond otherwise and for that she was thankful.

A few minutes passed before he strolled back into the living room in a pair of dark blue baggy jeans that were acid washed in the front and back of the thigh area. Pulling a gray wife-beater over his head as he sat down next to Nya, the hanyou started flipping through the documents moments before he queried teasingly, "Feel better now?"

"Much, thank you very much."

The hanyou rolled his eyes and smirked, but didn't comment as he glanced up and watched as Ashton came trotting out the kitchen and towards him. He stopped, sniffed Nya briefly and started towards him again as if she was honestly of no concern to him.

"So, you and Kagome are truly shacking up, huh? I mean you guys got a dog and all? All the two of you need now is a white picket fence and two kids," Nya observed condescendingly.

Glancing at his Secretary and friend out the corner of his eye, Takahashi snorted and retorted, "He's her dog, not mine. And for the record, we're not shacking up. Besides, that whole white picket fence thing is an American dream, it's damn sure not mine."

Rolling her eyes, she replied, "Well, last I heard, she was staying with you wasn't she?"

Inuyasha pushed the papers away and sat back. Eyeing her for a long moment before he spoke, he couldn't stop his heckles from starting to rise at just the thought of what Nya was trying to insinuate. Not to mention, what he and Kagome did or did not do was really none of her business, nor was it anyone else's.

"Watch yourself, Nya. You're talking about things that don't concern you," he warned seriously.

"All I'm saying is that maybe you're moving a little too fast," she tried to clarify. "I mean, you can't sit there and tell me that you're in love with this woman. You know nothing about her or her family for that matter!"

Inuyasha scratched the side of his nose and bit his tongue in an attempt to tamper down his rising agitation. "Nya," he warned again softly.

"No, don't get me wrong, I'm happy for you. I am, but…but I know how hard you love when you do, and I know how much you hurt when it doesn't work out. I just don't want a repeat of anything close to what happened with Kik-"

"Just shut up!" the hanyou shouted, standing abruptly to his feet. "Kagome isn't Kikyo, damn it!" he muttered under his breath as he stalked towards the floor to ceiling window overlooking the city.

"No, she's not, but-"

"Damn it, just stop! I'm not some fucking child that's so in love with the idea being in love that I'll force myself to love any and everything that walks pass me," he hissed turning on Nya, who was still sitting down, an empathetic look on her face. "Do you really think I want a repeat of fucking Kikyo? Do you think I'm that foolish that I didn't learn a goddamn thing from that entire ordeal?"

"Takahashi-sama, I wasn't trying to insinuate-"

"Yes, the fuck you were!" he snapped, cutting her off again. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he turned away from her, and continued, "You don't know Kagome. You don't know what she's been through or how badly she's been hurt. You…you don't… You've never seen her eyes when she thinks no one is looking." Pulling one of his hands out of his pockets, he scratched his head and finished, "You don't know a thing about her, Nya, and you damn sure don't know me when I'm with her, so just stop."

"You're right, I don't know her in that way or anything about her, but that's okay, because she's honestly of no concern to me," Nya advised mildly. "But you are my concern regardless of how detestable you act at times."

Inuyasha glared at her, but didn't comment.

"Just promise me that you won't move too fast with this one, and that you'll heed the signs," she pleaded gently.

Inuyasha sighed lightly. He had to admit that he was kind of expecting this conversation because Nya… Well, Nya, was just Nya. She spoke her mind, she was protective over him, and she hated the thought of anyone attempting to take advantage of him. She was so much more than his employee, she was his friend…his only friend and she was damn good at being that too.

The hanyou shuffled back over to the seat he'd just vacated and sat down, his head lowered and his elbows balanced on his parted knees. Shaking his head slowly, he lifted his head as he started softly, "I'll make a deal with you; trust me to handle my own love life, especially where Kagome is concerned, and I'll promise you that the minute anything seems out of sorts I'll back away."

She stared at him for a long moment before she leaned forward, grabbing his hand and squeezing it. "Just promise me that you'll protect your heart this time above all else. Make her earn it. Don't just give it to her. Make sure she's worthy of holding it."

Inuyasha smiled at her. For some reason he didn't really think that Kagome would have a problem proving her worthiness. After all, the woman had won over Sesshomaru, if she could do that than proving her worthiness to Nya, or anyone else for that matter, would be a cakewalk, wouldn't it?

Pulling the documents back towards him, the hanyou flipped to the signature page and scribbled his name as he replied, "You've got yourself a deal, Nya, but you have to promise me that you'll give Kagome a chance."

She rolled her eyes at him and smiled as she crossed her long elegant legs and steepled her manicured fingers nails. Puckering her lips, she stated as she tried to put on her best Godfather impersonation, "If she wants in this family, she's going to have earn it."

Chuckling, the hanyou slid the document he'd just finished signing towards her and pulled another one towards him. "Yeah, yeah. Just promise me, you'll give her a chance."

"Fine," she conceded with a smile. "I'll give the wonderful, beautiful, and stealer of men's hearts a chance, but the minute she crosses you, I'm doing her in."

The hanyou rolled his eyes and laughed. _Nosey Nya, what the hell am I going to do with you, _he thought idly as he continued to quickly skim the document before him. _Not a god-damn thing_, he decided quickly as he signed that document and moved on to the next one.

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

"So since I've been gone, you've been basically laying on your butt, eating my food, and using my electricity?"

The hanyou grinned as he walked back into the apartment, dropped his keys in the glass bowl on the counter, and bent down to release Ashton from the leash. "Don't forget, I've also been babysitting your dog."

"Oh please, he can watch himself," she stated matter-of-factly from the other end of the cell phone.

"Okay, so you got me. I've been sitting on my ass, using your electricity, and eating your food. What you going to do about it?" he challenged as he stepped out of his shoes and proceeded to the couch to sit down.

"What would you like me to do about it?" Kagome offered softly.

"Well, you could… I don't know, let me spank you?"

"Spank me? I don't think so! Not when you're the one that's acting like a total loafer!"

The hanyou chuckled as he rested his feet on her coffee table and reclined back. He'd called her when he left to go take Ashton for a walk after getting rid of Nya, and since then they'd been just talking about small stuff, neither one wanting to broach the topic of missing the other.

"Don't worry, Wench, I'll be back in my place by the end of the week. If that's not soon enough for you, I could always head to a hotel where I'm wanted."

She was quiet for a long moment before she spoke again, "No, I don't think I like the idea of you going to a hotel."

"Why?"

"I don't know; I really like knowing that you're at my place. Even though we're miles apart right now it still feels like I'm keeping an eye on you or something."

Inuyasha snorted loudly. "So this is your way of keeping tabs on me, is it?"

Kagome giggled. "Something like that. After all, I can't really have my boyfriend running around Tokyo all willie-nilly now can I?"

He glanced around her home and smiled to himself. He had to admit that her possessiveness was a very endearing thing to him, not to mention, he thoroughly got off on that little jealous strike of hers.

"What do you think I'm going to do? Go to a hotel and have an all out orgy?" he queried. "Come to think of it, that doesn't sound like a bad idea."

"Try it and see what body parts you'll be missing the minute I step foot back in Tokyo," Kagome warned.

The hanyou chuckled. "Now, don't go threatening the body parts, Wench."

"Oh, I'm not threatening, I'm promising," she told him. "You stick your thingy in someone else, and see what I do to it."

The hanyou reached down and caressed his manhood as he replied, "Alright, Wench, you win. No sticking my _thingy_ in anyone else while you're gone."

"While I'm gone?" Kagome snapped. "As long as we're together, you baka!"

"Alright, alright, alright. You win, no sticking my thingy in anyone else but 'the girlfriend,'" the hanyou conceded. Changing the subject on her, he questioned, "Oi, did your period go off yet?"

"Takahashi, that's a personal question, don't you think?" Kagome blustered.

Inuyasha knew that had she been before him, her face would've been ninety-nine different shades of red. "Personal? Woman, I've been down there licking, sucking, and nibbling. You really can't get more personal than that, can you?"

"Inuyasha!!"

He knew she was feeling more than a little embarrassed, but he was not about to let it go. "So is it off?"

"Why"? It's not like you can get to it."

"Feh, I'm Takahashi Inuyasha, there ain't much I _can't _get to. Now answer the question."

"So, you're telling me that if it's off you'll come to Kyoto to get some?"

"No, I didn't say that. I just asked you a question."

"Yes, it's off. It went off last night."

"Good, now make sure you get your ass back here before it comes back on."

"Inuyasha!"

"Inuyasha, hell, Wench! I'm fucking horny, and you should be too!"

"We're not having this conversation, Dog-boy!"

"Why the hell not? I'm horny, my dick is always fucking hard, and I almost humped your fucking dog this morning! We're _having _this conversation, Kagome!"

"You almost humped Ashton?"

"Yes, Wench! I thought he was you!"

"You thought I was a dog?"

The hanyou sighed heavily and tried to clarify, "Not like that, Wench. I just…I'm just fucking horny."

Kagome was quiet for a long moment before she stated evenly, "So what you're saying is that when you get _horny_, you'll hump anything including a dog."

"No," Inuyasha huffed exasperatedly. "I was dreaming about you, idiot!"

The hanyou would've sworn he heard her relax before she stated softly, "You dream about me?"

"You _don't_ dream about me?"

"Well, yeah, but I don't dream about you like that," she lied.

"So you don't dream about me fucking the shit out of you, licking your clit, massaging your nipples with my tongue, or rubbing the head of my cock-"

"Inuyasha, you're nasty!"

"Nasty? We've already done everything I just said! How is that nasty?"

"Well you're not supposed to talk about it!"

"Wench, when I can't get to it, you have to let me talk about it. After all, didn't you already tell me that I can't go sticking my _thingy_ in anyone else? I'm a man, I need some kind of relief."

"So go masturbate!"

"Did that this morning; not helping!" the hanyou snapped back while standing to his feet. "Wait, are you embarrassed about what we do or something?"

"Not at all, I just happen to believe that some things shouldn't be discussed."

"Feh, don't be stupid. I'm talking to you, about what I do to you; I'm not talking to a complete stranger."

"I know that, it's just…"

Cutting her off the hanyou intoned, "You're making my dick soft, change the subject."

"Inuyasha?"

"Don't Inuyasha me. You're 'the girlfriend' you're not supposed to make my dick soft without me cumming first," he quipped not sounding nearly as annoyed as he felt. "Changing the subject, what are you doing later?"

He figured that under normal circumstances any man in his right mind would be petrified shitless at the idea that 'the girlfriend' was out gallivanting around Kyoto when she had an overly obsessed crime boss and his cronies looking for her, even if she still chose to deny it. However, he was more than relaxed with that because he'd taken care of it, per se.

He'd hired a couple of demon security officers to tail her while she was in Kyoto. The Gecko demon was ordered to stake out the shrine her family lived on and the other, who was mix of German Sheppard and something else, was told to follow her-at a distance-and to report to him immediately if something untoward occurred. He didn't care if it was something as simple as someone breathing on her the wrong way; he wanted to know about it.

So far it appeared that all was going well, because in the days since she had been gone the only reports he'd received was that she'd gotten into a small argument with a female, neko youkai, and while out with her brother at a local video game store, she was almost accosted by a few drunk guys that were hanging around outside the store.

At first neither instance set right with him, and he started to take a quick trip to Kyoto, but when Kagome called and explained to him that she had to put her brother's girlfriend in her place, he relaxed and chalked that up to an overly possessive young female demon. As for the whole being almost accosted thing, he found out from the guard that when he was about to intervene, her younger brother stepped in and jawed the guy quite nicely.

Even thinking back to that now, he had to remind himself to give the kid-if or when he ever met him-much props for representing.

"I'm going to go to the mall with Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi and then we're going to have an all night girl's night at Eri's house," she offered quickly as he heard her shift as if she was getting comfortable.

"I see. So what do you all do at these girl's nights?"

"We drink, and talk about old times. We compare boyfriends, and male bash, you know that type of stuff."

"No men are involved right?"

"Nope, but one time Yuka did get a stripper to come to one of them. But that was when we were celebrating graduating from high school."

"Strippers, huh?"

"Yeah, but it was no big deal. The guy did a few dances and left after about an hour or so. Besides, he didn't even have a nice physique."

Inuyasha laughed and sat forward as he retorted, "Alright, no strippers tonight."

"Yes, sir," Kagome quipped. "So what are you going to do today?"

"Nothing much. I told Rin I'd babysit for her and Sesshomaru later, but other than that I don't have any plans."

"Babysit? She has a house full of servants, why does she need you to do something so mundane?" Kagome questioned.

"I thought the same thing, but I didn't call her on it, because I think it's just her way of making sure I spend time with the twins and that I'm not too lonely while you're gone," he retorted. "So that's where Ashton and I will be tonight."

"Rin's pretty big on keeping your family close, isn't she?"

"Yeah. I mean it's only the three…five of us," he amended. "But we're all like that."

Kagome laughed, "Well, by the way you and Sesshomaru acted at breakfast the morning I left, the two of you seem to hate each other."

"Yeah, that," he intoned. "You'll get used to it."

Kagome was quiet for a minute as if cogitating over something. "I will?"

Inuyasha smirked after realizing what he'd just said and catching on that she understood the deeper meaning of it. "Yes, you will."

"I think I like the idea of getting used to it."

The hanyou couldn't explain why her saying that set his heart at ease, but it did and he loved it. "So how's your mom?"

"She's fine. I'm supposed to be getting ready to head out to the grocery store with her."

"Well, shouldn't you be doing that rather than sitting on the phone with me?" Inuyasha queried, hoping that she didn't think that he was trying to get off the phone with her.

"Yeah, I guess I should go."

"Alright, well stay safe and call me later," he replied.

"Alright," she stated sadly.

He was about to click the off button on the phone when he heard her call his name, so he placed the phone back to his ear and said, "Yeah, what's up?"

"Uhm…Uhm…"

"Kagome, what's up? Need something?"

"No, I…"

"Speak now or forever hold your peace, woman."

He heard her sigh heavily before she questioned timidly, "About earlier… I understand that you're horny, and I'm sorry that I'm not there to help you out, but you're not going to go out and cheat on me are you?"

If he didn't know that she was insecure before, he was definitely certain of it now. However, he couldn't blame her for it either, not after everything she'd been through. "Wench, I do have self control. Besides, I don't have a taste for chicken or pork, I'm craving Angus beef and unfortunately the beef I want won't be available for another week or so, so I'm going to wait."

"Promise me, Inuyasha."

The hanyou licked his lips and decided that whatever she needed to hear in order to make her understand that she could trust him, he would say. "It's a promise, Kagome. I'm going to sit right here on this couch with my dick in my hands until you come suck it."

"Inuyasha, I… You didn't just… How… You asshole!" she blubbered indignantly.

The hanyou laughed haughtily. "Yeah, Wench, I hate you too. Bye!"

He could hear her continued fragmented sentences as he clicked the off button on his cell phone, and that only caused him to laugh harder.

Standing to his feet, he started towards the hallway bathroom, but stopped at the sound of a three short knocks on the door. Turning to stare at it, he narrowed his eyes and hissed, "Well, gods-fuck can't a hanyou get a moment's peace?"

By the time he got to the door, Ashton was already there barking and wagging his tail happily as if he knew who the person was.

Sniffing lightly as he rested his hand on the knob, he couldn't stop the scowl that fell over his once serene features.

_What the fuck does he want? _he thought as he unlocked the door, twisted the knob, and pulled the door open.

"Uh, hi. Uhm, Takahashi-sama," Miroku stuttered with a deep bow.

The hanyou said nothing, just stared at the man as he righted himself. He looked awful actually. Well, not particularly awful, but he'd definitely had better days.

His hair was a little longer and more unkempt than the hanyou remembered it being the last time he saw him. He also looked as if he hadn't shaved in more than a few days, and the jeans and t-shirt he wore was so wrinkled that it almost appeared that he had slept in them on more than one occasion. However, he didn't stink and for that, Inuyasha was grateful.

"Is…is Higurashi-chan available," Miroku questioned unsurely.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at the man, but still didn't respond as Kagome's words after she'd woken from a nightmare played within his head, _"He was so mean to me, Inuyasha. He was cold and hateful… The things he said to me."_

Stepping back, the hanyou stated coolly, "Come in."

After Miroku stepped through the door, Inuyasha closed it behind him. Turning as the man knelt down and patted Ashton behind the ear, Inuyasha stepped into the kitchen and over to the refrigerator.

Pulling two beers out, he snapped the top on one and slid it down the counter towards the visibly distressed man that was now standing up as he picked up the second one and opened it as well.

"You look like you could really use that," Inuyasha offered, taking a swig off his beer.

Miroku looked at it unsurely, but eventually picked it up and took a long gulp from it. Wiping the trace beer from his lips with the back of his hand, he questioned, "So, is she here?"

"No," Inuyasha stated, stepping back into the living room. Stopping a few feet away from Miroku, the hanyou intoned, "I heard what happened to Sango, I'm sorry about that man. If there's anything you need, let me know."

At the mention of Sango's name, Inuyasha could see the man's eyes mist up almost instantaneously, but he looked away quickly in hopes that the hanyou wouldn't see the trace amount of wetness that wanted to fall.

It was too bad for him that the hanyou had a nose like a hawk had eyes.

"Yeah, thanks. Uhm, I spoke with Detective Shu. He came by the house the other day and showed Sango some pictures; she picked out the one of the guy that attacked her." He scratched his head and finished, "He said that he tried to attack Kagome and you killed him. Uhm, thanks even though I know you didn't do it for us."

The hanyou shrugged his shoulders off handedly and responded, "There's no need to thank me. I'm sure you would've done the same thing if you were able to get to Sango in time," as he watched the emotionally wrought man swallow convulsively.

Stepping around him and towards the couch, Inuyasha set his beer down on the table and proceeded to sit down. Changing the subject since the last thing he wanted to do was talk about that pathetic prick or what he did to him, he asked, "So what do you want to talk to Kagome about?"

Miroku stepped into the living room as well, set his beer down on the coffee table and took a seat in the chair across from Inuyasha, but he didn't answer right away.

Inuyasha stared at the human man, amazed that one person's eyes could hold so much pain, and that one person's aura could be so devastated. _Is that how I was when Kikyo left me? Is that how I would've been had that Dinshu fuck actually gotten away with attacking Kagome?_

"In the past few days Sango has been doing a lot better…she's been feeling a lot stronger, and she's been asking for Kagome. I…I keep telling her that Kagome called or came by when she was sleeping, but I think she knows that I'm lying."

Taking a swig off his beer, Inuyasha queried already knowing the answer, "Why are you lying to her?"

Miroku looked up, his hands shaking as he wiped at his nose. "I'm lying because…because I'm the reason why Kagome hasn't been around. When she came to the hospital, I was filled with so much rage, so much anger that I couldn't see straight. I…I needed to take my anger out on someone-I didn't care who-and I took it out on her." He swallowed in an attempt to rewet his parched throat and continued, "It was unjust, and it was wrong-I knew that-but I did it…I said the things I said anyway."

The hanyou stared at him, at the pain in the man's voice as he spoke, and he couldn't stop his heart from going out to him. He was suffering. He was being tormented for wanting to protect the person he loved, and in agony because in trying to protect her, he'd alienated the one person that she considered a true friend.

"I told Kagome that it was her fault that this had happened to Sango. I told her… I said so many mean spirited things to her, that when she didn't come back to see Sango the day after or the day after that, I knew that it was because of me," he stated softly, his hands twisting before him. He looked up at Inuyasha, and finished, "I just want to tell her that I'm sorry for everything I said to her, and for making her feel as if she did something wrong."

The hanyou looked at him as he spoke, but didn't interrupt.

"I was raised better than that. I was raised to understand that the universe was not something that one can control. Things happen to each of us for a reason, it matters not whether one takes a left turn or a right turn, if it is destined to happen it will. And for awhile I forgot that. I lost sight of who I am, what I believe." He wiped at his nose again and finished, "I need to apologize to her for everything that I said to her. I…I just need to apologize. Maybe then… I just need to apologize"

"She's going to be out of town until next weekend, but maybe you should have Sango call her," the hanyou suggested.

"I thought about that too, but Sango's phone was damaged in the attack and all of her contacts were lost," Miroku advised sullenly. "Besides, if she talks to her, then Sango will know that I've been lying to her all this time, and I can't hurt her like that. I don't ever want her to hurt again."

"I'll give you Kagome's number again, but just wait a few days before you have Sango call her. I'll talk to Kagome and let her know that you came by, but when she gets back I suggest you try this apology thing again, because it should come from you not me or anyone else."

Miroku bowed his head. "Thank you, Takahashi-sama. Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. What you said to Kagome really bothered her, so it's up to her whether she forgives you or not. I have nothing to do with it."

"She told you about it? She told you what I said to her?"

"Yeah, she told me," the hanyou admitted an empathetic look on his face.

"Oh, well, I truly am sorry," Miroku intoned, standing to his feet. Drinking down the rest of the beer in a few gulps, he stated, "Well, I should be off. I left Sango with her brother, Kohaku, who's visiting from college. I'm sure she's wondering where I am."

Tearing a page out of one of the magazines on the table, the hanyou quickly scribbled Kagome's number on the piece of paper and handed it to him as he stood to his feet.

"Thanks again, Takahashi-sama," Miroku stated after taking the torn sheet that the hanyou offered.

"I didn't do anything."

"You gave Sango hope," Miroku whispered. "When she heard that he was dead, I swear I saw life flicker behind her eyes again. She sleeps through the night now, and…it's all because of what you did," he finished as he turned and started towards wards the door.

Walking around Miroku, Inuyasha opened the door, watched quietly as the despondent man proceeded out the door and down the hallway to the elevators that would take him back to the first floor and to what was left of his life.

Sighing lightly, the hanyou shook his head somberly, thankful that he was not in his shoes and by the grace of the gods he'd never be there.

**Until Next Time**…(Your .02 cents are appreciated.)

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**Next Chapter:** Dissention

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_**Acknowledgements: **__(All others have been sent PM's)_

**Madi:** Thanks so much for your wonderful review!! You wanted to know what my username means, well, that's a secret. (lol)

**Jin:** Thanks for your review, and thanks for the congrats!!

**Inusoul:** Yes, the bottom will eventually fall out, but you still have a few chapters to go, so relax. Thanks for your review!!

**Lynzi18:** Thank you so much for your wonderful review!!


	50. Dissention

**A/N:** As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness. Alright, people I just finished my math final and I got one more final to take this weekend and then I'm on to my last two classes before the summer! Yay, me!! Anyway, I'm going to be pushing to finish this fic within the next few months, because I've decided that I'd like to try my hand at something else. I don't want to jinx it; so, I'm going to keep it a secret for now. Anyway, thanks for your continued support! And an extra special thanks of appreciation and admiration goes out to my wonderful beta, Neko!! I love you, Lady.

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**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, Nola, Moki, Maki, Dr. Aikio, Takira, and Gage.

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**Chapter 50:**

_**Dissention**_

"I'm so sorry, Dalia. Please let me know if I can do anything for you."

The clock over the mantle chimed twice, and he groaned inwardly as he leaned back in the high, leather back chair and closed his eyes.

"I know. I know. It just doesn't make sense."

His claws tapped impatiently against the arm rest of the chair, but he didn't interrupt. He would be patient. He would act-as best he could-as if he truly cared. He would mourn; if only to show face.

"Don't you worry about a thing; I've talked to Kouga and he's going to handle everything dealing with the Memorial Service."

Dalia, the rancid bitch that she was, was Dinshu's wife or mate, or whatever she chose to call herself and Kouga… He couldn't stand her ass. Maybe it was because she always disliked him, or maybe…maybe it was because when he'd tried to screw her that one time, she wouldn't let him.

_Scandalous bitch!_

He didn't really care which it was, he just wanted this farce to be over with. Sitting here listening to Ayame go on and on about how much of good person Dinshu was, and how sorry she was to hear that he was killed was actually starting to rile his last nerve!

It wasn't because she was saying that Din was a good person that got to him, because neither he nor any of the people he associated with were _good_ in any sense of the word. No, there was something else all together that had him peeved to the point of losing control.

It could've been that he had to come back to Kyoto without so much as seeing Kagome in person, or it could've been the fact that ever since learning about that half-breed prick, Inuyasha, he'd been unable to control his thoughts about her.

He kept seeing her lying beneath that retarded freak of nature! He kept imagining her smiling at him, and he kept…he kept imagining her happy, truly happy and it wasn't with him. What made matters worse is that he'd actually went online and Googled the son of a bitch, and there he was with his older, tree-limb of a brother, looking like two washed out mops.

"Oh, Dalia, sweetie; it will be okay. He loved you, and I'm sure in his last moments you were the only person on his mind."

_Bull-fucking-shit, _he hissed silently as he cracked one eye open and stared at the back of Ayame's head.

If Kouga knew anything about Dinshu, he knew that he didn't love Dalia. He was infatuated with her, maybe even cared for her a little, but love? Nah, that was one thing that Dinshu didn't feel for the cow.

If anything, it was one of the many things that he and Din shared. They'd married and pretended to be the mates of the weakest, softest, most apathetic women they could find, and it didn't hurt that money came along with it.

He figured, she'd be wondering in a few months why she was still alive, since her _mate _was dead. And with the whole mate thing, if it's your true mate, you're supposed to follow them in death, right?

_Pfff, what fucking ever!_

"I'll try to come by this afternoon, but Kouga hasn't really been in the best of moods-all things considered-so, I can't really promise. Yeah, I know, he and Dinny were almost inseparable," he heard Ayame whisper as if she thought if he heard her he'd breakdown or something.

_Whatever, good riddance to bad blood! _

Outside of Moki and Maki, no one knew that he'd ordered Dinshu's death and no one…no one knew that it was a rotten ass, soar blooded, half-breed that actually took him down. He'd told everyone that they'd been tailing someone when Dinshu slipped off the edge of a skyscraper and fell to his death.

It was a crap story, he knew that much, but he didn't care. Who in hell were they to second guess him?

Hell, the only one that looked at him sideways was Hakkaku, but he'd brushed that off too, because he figured he was still pissed about the whole shooting Ginta fiasco. Speaking of which, he still needed to finish that fucker off for his inexcusable treachery.

_Fuck'em, _he thought coldly as he methodically raked his claws up and down the leather arm of the chair. _Fuck'em all! _

"You alright, honey?"

Kouga looked up, a glare on his face, but he didn't respond.

Ayame ran her clawed hands across his shoulders, massaging them and he leaned forward away from her touch.

"Kouga?"

He growled agitatedly and snapped, "Just leave me alone, would you?"

Ayame stepped back, he could feel her aura wrap itself tightly around her and he would've liked to say that he felt just a little bad, but he didn't.

He didn't want to be here being consoled about the death of a two-faced backstabbing prick! He needed to be coming up with a plan! He needed to be working on getting things together for when he got Kagome back! He didn't need to be here, catering to her or rather having her cater to him, because honestly, he was perfectly fucking fine!

Ayame stepped towards him, dropped to her knees in front of him and scooted forward so that she was basically kneeling before him, her hands resting lovingly on his knees. Laying her head one of her hands, she whispered softly, "No, I'm not going to leave you alone. I'm going to stay right here, because I know that this is where you truly need me."

Kouga snarled and bit down on the inside of his jaw as his nostrils flared. _No, you stupid bitch, I don't fucking need you here! What I fucking need is for you to take a flying leap off a cliff! That's what I need!_

"Kouga, I know you haven't said anything about it, but you know what happened to Dinny wasn't your fault, right? It was an accident."

The demon stood abruptly to his feet and stalked away from her, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. "Just leave me alone, Ayame. Just…just leave me alone." He knew if he said anymore than that, nothing respectful was going to come out of his mouth, because right now all he could see is that she was holding him back.

She was no better than the rest of them, regardless of whether she was doing it willingly or not. She was keeping him from Kagome. She…she was the reason why he couldn't be with Kagome the way he wanted to.

In his mind, his twisted little world, it was her fault! All…her…fucking…fault!

"Kouga, honey," she stated softly and she ran up behind him and threw her arms around his waist.

The wolf demon turned aggressively as if he'd just been attacked. He pushed her away roughly and back handed her across the face. "I told you to leave me alone! Just….Just…" He stalked towards her, his anger a violent thing bubbling over, festering like a cesspool filled with rotten flesh and feces. It was like a living breathing animal, inching out, devouring everything in its path.

"You needy ass bitch; didn't I tell you? Didn't… Fuck, Ayame!" he bellowed angrily as his fists clenched and released, promising violent retribution to the next thing or person that they came in contact with.

Ayame scrambled back away from him. Holding her hand to the cheek where he'd hit her, she started to cry as she screamed hysterically, "What's wrong with you? Why… How could you do-"

"I told you to fucking leave me alone, didn't I! I warned you, but you never fucking listen! You never fucking listen! Just go somewhere! Get out of my face! Dis-a-fucking-pear for all I care," he hissed hatefully.

Everything that had happened in the past few months had pushed him…forced him to this point…the point of no return.

The anger that roiled up inside of him was a hateful thing that he could taste in the back of his throat, feel within the blood rushing through his body, and hear whispering in the back of his mind. It was telling him to kill her, destroy her, because without her, there would be nothing to stand between him and what he deserved.

He growled, stepped forward quickly and pulled her up by her neck, so that her feet were dangling off the ground. His iridescent blue eyes were glaring dangerously into her emerald green ones that were riddled with fear and pain. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that what he was doing was damn near depraved, but he couldn't stop himself. He…he didn't have the mental capacity at the moment to even want to.

_Kill her, _that damnable voice whispered seductively and his hand tightened around her narrow neck.

She coughed, squirmed and whimpered pathetic little syllables that resembled his name, but he heard nothing accept the voice in his head telling him to finish her and everything he wanted would be his.

_Kill her. Kagome will want you if you kill her. Get rid of her! She's not your mate! She not my choice!_

He growled, his claws digging into the side of her neck as his mind blanked and twisted into something so dark, so cold, and so desolate that the hatred he felt there, the pain, the agony, the desire to just become one with it was enough to make his mind clear momentarily.

"Ko…uga, I…I can't…breathe. St…o…p," he heard her murmur breathlessly, and he froze, inhaled, and dropped her unceremoniously back to the floor as if she was a dirty bag of stinking socks, and regurgitated food.

Ayame stared up him from where he'd dropped her to the floor. Tears were streaming down her face, but she didn't say anything. The metallic scent of her blood was thick in the air around him as he stepped back slowly, rolling his neck in an attempt to loosen his muscles.

The pained expression on her face and the way she stared up at him helplessly as if she didn't know him was almost enough to make him _want _to apologize, but it just wasn't enough.

His anger blinded him to what he had done. He'd never once hit her, or so much as raised his voice to her, but now… Of course he'd hit other women, and if one of them were in front of him now, it would've taken all the hounds of hell to get him off the poor bitch!

Stepping back again as if he couldn't stand being anywhere near her, he snarled through clenched teeth, his anger…his rage a vibrant thing with a life of its own, "This is your fault! If you would've just listened to me! God damn it, Ayame, you made me do this! You…you fucking…cunt!"

Turning on his heels, Kouga stalked towards the door and through it without even a passing glance backwards. He'd find someone to take his anger out on, damn it! He'd find him, her, whoever, and when he was done, he would be able to think…to figure out his next move, but first things first!

Making quick work of running down the stairs of his mansion, he snarled to one of his many goons as he stepped out on the front stoop, "Get the car!"

He heard Ayame screaming his name, but he didn't care. At the moment, he couldn't even make himself pretend to care about her or anything else! Fuck everyone; from this point on, this was about him! It was about Kagome! It was about whatever he wanted! Everything else, and everyone else could just kiss his ass after he'd taken a good shit and before he wiped!

_Cock-blocking bitch!_

_**

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**_

Simonkal of Inuy

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"So, I turned to him and I told him if he accidentally slipped one more time, my ass would be the last piece of ass he ever got!"

The four girls erupted in laughter at the tale-end of their friend, Yuka's, story.

Kagome doubled over, clenching her stomach as she tried fruitlessly to catch her breath.

"I knew, I should've turned him down the minute I saw his little pencil inch dick, but by then I was so turned on, I didn't care!" Yuka continued callously. "Hell, I should have anyway, because every time I got close to cumming he'd slip out! After the fifth time, I pushed his ass off of me, got dressed, went home, and masturbated."

"You're nuts!" Kagome exclaimed as she wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Please, sex with men is highly overrated," Yuka quipped as she leaned in and picked up her glass of white wine she'd ordered a few minutes earlier.

"So are you saying, in a round-about-way, that you've slept with a woman before," Ayumi questioned from her seat beside Kagome.

Yuka rolled her eyes and kissed her teeth before responding teasingly, her tone haughty, "It was the best _cunnilingus_ I have ever experienced."

"You're so full of it!" Eri interjected from her spot next to Yuka. "You've never slept with a girl before!"

"Like hell I haven't! And how the hell would you know; it's not like you would've been there!" Yuka defended, turning to face Eri.

"You're such a liar, Yuka! You've never-"

Cutting her off, Yuka snapped proudly, "Tuki! I met her at the rave we went to a few months ago."

"Explain," Kagome cut in as she leaned forward towards her friend, now totally intrigued. She knew out of all of them Yuka definitely had more of a hedonistic side when it came to sex and all things pertaining to it, but sleeping with a woman? She found that hard to believe as well.

"What's there to explain? I was drunk and horny and she was there," Yuka offered offhandedly. "I didn't do _her _or anything, but I damn sure let her devour me, and I must say again that it was and is still the _best_ that I have ever had."

"You're so full of shit!" Eri bellowed again in disbelief.

"Why, because you don't have the balls to do it?" Yuka challenged.

"No, because you just make it up as you go along!"

"Alright ladies, enough," Kagome interjected quickly, knowing that even though Yuka and Eri were the best of friends, their relationship was more on the combative side than anything else. She knew that if she didn't put a stop to this little argument now, they'd be ready to scratch each other eyes out soon.

Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi all turned to face Kagome with various looks.

"What? Am I suppose to sit here and just let the two of you argue? We all know how it's going to end," Kagome defended with a giggle.

"Anyway," Eri intoned exaggeratedly while rolling her eyes. "So, tell us what brought you home? I mean we didn't even know that you were coming until you were already here."

Kagome glanced over at her friend before looking away and picking up her glass of white wine. She hadn't told anyone, not even her brother or her mother, why she had come back home for this unscheduled visit. She figured that it was over now, so there really wasn't any reason to worry anyone.

Not only that, but her family would probably get overly dramatic and try to demand that she move back home, which was not going to happen. Perhaps, she would've entertained the idea beforehand, but now… Well, there was no way in hell that she was going to just leave Inuyasha to his own endeavors.

Eyeing her friend's waiting faces, she came to a quick conclusion that what happened in Tokyo probably was best left there.

"Do I need permission to visit my best-friends? After all, it's not like any of you come up there to see me."

Yuka was the first to respond, "Well, after you and Kouga broke up you were so withdrawn and despondent that it was almost crippling. Who would want to be around somebody like that?"

Kagome gasped, and snapped incredulously, "My friends?"

"Yeah, she was all, oh my God how could he do that to me! And crying every five seconds," Ayumi teased, ignoring Kagome's rhetorical question. "I got to the point that when she called, I would send her calls straight to my voicemail."

"Oh my goodness, I thought I was the only one that did that!" Yuka confessed happily.

"Hey, lay off of her! She was in love. We can't fault her for turning into a simmering ball of puss after being betrayed in such a fashion!" Eri added in Kagome's defense as she tried to hold in her own laughter.

"Wow, what great friends I have," Kagome hissed derisively through clenched teeth as she tried to hold in her own laughter. She probably should have and would've been mad at their antics had this happened a few months ago, but now, it just didn't hurt as much as it use to.

"So, don't keep us in suspense; tell us about this new guy you've been obviously having phone sex with," Eri stated, turning to face Kagome.

The woman in question blushed profusely and lifted her glass again in an attempt to hide her smile at just the thought of the man that was impatiently waiting for her to return to Tokyo.

In all actuality, she hadn't even told them anything about him, but when they'd come by to pick her up earlier that day, she'd been on the phone with him and they'd sort of overheard some of the intimate things that she was telling him, or rather promising him upon her return.

"I wasn't having phone sex, bakas!"

"So what's his name? What does he do? How long have you two been dating?" Ayumi questioned quickly, totally blowing off Kagome's previous claim. "What's his name?"

Eyeing her friends closely, she silently debated on whether she should or shouldn't tell them about Inuyasha and how much she should or shouldn't say. She didn't want to mention anything about his being a billionaire, so she knew she couldn't give them his last name otherwise they'd be able to put two and two together and all hell would break loose from there.

"Speak, bitch, stop trying to be sneaky," Yuka quipped playfully.

Kagome glared at her, but decided that she wasn't going to challenge her about the name calling, because she hoped she meant it in a loving sort of way, if that was possible. "Well, his name is Inuyasha."

"Inu…yasha? That's kind of exotic, isn't it?" Eri questioned quizzically.

"Doesn't it mean like dog spirit or ghost dog or something like that?" Ayumi interjected.

"I don't know, I never asked him what it meant, but dog spirit is what it translates to," Kagome confirmed.

"Okay, so he's a dog spirit, what does he do? Where is he from, and how did you meet him?" Eri tossed back.

"Gods, Eri, one question at a time!" Kagome quipped before continuing, "He's in business with his older brother. Oh and he's a native of Tokyo."

"Is he Asian or a Relo?" Ayumi questioned quickly, using the word 'relo' as a shorter version of a person who relocated from elsewhere.

"I already said he's a native of Tokyo, Ayumi," Kagome answered quickly then added, "Oh and he's a hanyou."

The silence that fell over the table was an almost deafening thing, but the sound of a cackle coming from Yuka quickly broke that, and was the beginning of a torrential storm.

Narrowing her eyes suspiciously, Kagome sat back, her arms crossed beneath her full breasts. "What's so funny, Yuka?" she questioned defensively.

The woman in question continued to laugh, oblivious to the fact that none of her other friends found anything that Kagome had said even slightly humorous.

"What the hell, Yuka, do you know this Inuyasha guy or something?" Eri questioned.

"Yeah, let us in on the joke," Ayumi added, a disappointed scowl falling over her face. "I know you've slept with half of Kyoto, but I had no idea your legs stretched as far as Tokyo," she added spitefully.

As her laughter died down, Yuka rolled her eyes at Ayumi and stated while wiping at her eyes, "No, no, I don't know him, but…" She swallowed, and tried to catch her breath before starting again, "I mean damn, being hanyou makes him something of a mutt doesn't it?" Not waiting on an answer, and missing the way Kagome heckles rose dangerously, she finished, "I mean you went from being with someone that was a damn near God to being with a freak of nature? I mean come one, what the hell Kagome? You couldn't find a real man?"

"Yuka!" Eri and Ayumi reprimanded simultaneously, both unwilling to believe that their longtime friend would even open her mouth to say such a thing.

"Please, I'm not going to just act like it's okay just to make her happy! What the hell is a _hanyou_ anyway; part this and part that, and a lot of nothing?" she finished bitterly.

"Yuka, take the bitch stick out of your ass," Ayumi responded quickly while leaning back away from her friend. She didn't want to catch an ounce of the storm that was about to come down on her from Kagome, who was just sitting there staring at Yuka with a look of disbelief on her face.

"What the hell ever! All the hanyous I know are impotent anyway! So, what do you plan on having with this guy, Kagome?" She didn't wait for a reply as she answered cantankerously, "Nothing? Because it sure won't be a meaningful or long term relationship!" She then went on, "If I were you-"

"I'd shut the hell up," Kagome stated almost too calmly, cutting her off.

"Yeah, shut up, Yuka! Besides, hanyous are the best of both worlds, aren't they Kagome?" Eri questioned in hopes of quelling the fight that was brewing right before her eyes. "They're like everything that a human will never be, and everything a full demon could only hope to be, right?"

Snarling at Eri, Yuka bit out as she picked up the cloth napkin that was lying in front of her and threw it at Eri, "You might want to use this to wipe some of that _shit_ off your nose!"

Eri picked up the napkin and threw it right back at her. "I'm not brown nosing; it's the truth!"

Turning her fevered attention to her other companions, Yuka snapped, totally ignoring Eri altogether, "No, I will not shut up! You two always go along with Kagome's asinine plans when we all know that this is going to go absolutely nowhere! In the end, we're going to be the ones on the other end of the phone telling her how stupid this Inu-sterile-freak is! Well, I'm not going to do it! She tried dating a full-blooded youkai and we all see how that turned out! Now she's dating a fucking hanyou; get real!"

Kagome stood abruptly to her feet, her hands slapping against the table loudly. "You jealous bitch," she hissed. "You don't know a goddamn thing about Inuyasha or fucking hanyous, but yet, you sit here slapping your gums like you're the all knowing God of hanyous and men." She glared at Yuka, her nails raking over the tabletop milliseconds before they formed fists. "Inuyasha is more man than you've ever had a day in your life, and if you say one more derogatory thing about him or hanyous, for that matter, I swear I'm going to climb over this table and plant my foot so far up your ass, people are going to think that we're Siamese fucking twins."

Yuka stood up as well, she and Kagome eye to eye. "You can make all the idle threats you want, Kagome; but the fact remains that what you're doing is damn near foolish! After what you went through with Kouga, why would you even want to put yourself back in the same situation?" She scoffed dryly, in Kagome's face and continued, "You keep chasing after what you can't have."

"What I do or don't do with my life is my business, Yuka, not yours," Kagome retorted too calmly.

Yuka laughed in her face. "Yeah, I remember you saying something like that when you first started dating… I mean letting Kouga fuck you, and we all saw how that ended!" She laughed chillingly and finished, "He left your ass for a fucking youkai because you wasn't good enough! When will you get it through your thick head, Kagome, you're out of your league!" She scoffed again and finished coldly, "Oh, but maybe you are in your league now. After all, you are _just_ dating a hanyou, aren't you?"

Kagome's mind blanked, her hand came up with the swiftness of a cat and she slapped Yuka hard across the face. "You fucking bitch! And you call yourself my friend? How dare you throw something like that in my face," she hissed as she stepped out from behind the table and towards Yuka's side.

"Kagome, Yuka stop!" Eri shouted as she ran around the table and forced herself between her two friends. "Kagome, Yuka's just being a bitch as usual, she doesn't mean anything by it!"

"Like hell I don't! I'm glad Kouga left you! You always thought you were better than the rest of us, because you're some big time lawyer. Well, fuck you and the goat you road in here on! You might be an attorney, but that little pricey piece of shit degree can't keep your lonely ass warm at night, can it? You suck at relationships and this is going to end no better than the last one, you sniveling bitch!" Yuka shouted, as she stepped back away from Kagome while rubbing her left cheek that had just been slapped.

Kagome pushed past Eri, her arms reaching desperately to touch her dear friend in a not so loving way! How dare she speak this way about what she and Inuyasha had? How dare she say such spiteful and hateful things! How dare she…she call Inuyasha a pathetic hanyou, when he was anything but that!

That was the problem, wasn't it? She'd always known that Yuka was jealous of her. So, the things that she was saying about her, really didn't surprise her that much. But for her to talk about and bad mouth Inuyasha was another beast all together!

He was a good man, a damn good man and he didn't deserve it; regardless of whether their relationship worked out or not! He didn't deserve any of her mean-spirited comments, and she'd be damned if she stood here and allowed this bitter woman-friend or not-to talk about him in such a way.

Ayumi tugged Yuka to the other side of the table away from Kagome in order to help keep the two friends further apart. "Yuka, shut up! What's your problem anyway?"

The whole restaurant was watching the altercation at this point, but none of the girls paid that any mind.

Pulling her arm out of Ayumi's grasp, Yuka hissed, "I'm done with this bullshit! Just because I happen to not agree with the almighty Kagome, I'm wrong? Well, that's bullshit! You all know that I'm right! She always does this same crap and we're the ones left picking up the goddamn pieces!"

"That's what friends do, Yuka," Ayumi offered quickly in hopes of getting it through her friend's head that she was being unreasonable.

"It's not about you not agreeing with what Kagome is doing, Yuka," Eri interjected, turning away from Kagome, who finally seemed to be calming down, "It's about how you disagree, baka."

"Just apologize, Yuka. She's only here for a few days and we have plans tonight remember?" Ayumi added.

"I'm not doing shit with her; she hit me!" Yuka defended dismissively as if she'd done and said nothing to warrant such treatment.

"Well I'm not doing shit with you either! As a matter of fact, forget that we're even friends!" Kagome shouted out of anger.

"Forgotten," Yuka bit out as she turned and stomped towards the exit.

"Yuka, don't go," Ayumi shouted desperately, but she didn't move to follow her friend. "Yuka, just apologize!"

"Let her ass go! If she can't be happy that I'm happy for once in my miserable life, then I don't need her around me at all," Kagome hissed. "I don't need this shit! After everything that I've been through, I don't need this shit!" Glaring up at Yuka's back as she quickly made her way past the matre'd, she shouted maliciously, "Don't forget to pay your bill, you broke bitch, because I'm not paying it!"

Yuka spun around angrily and stuck her middle finger up at Kagome before turning and storming out the front door without another word.

Kagome tried to step in the direction of the door, but Eri blocked the way. "Just let her go. She'll calm down and she'll call and apologize like she always does."

"Yuka can go to hell. She crossed the line this time. What she just did and the things that she said about Inuyasha when she doesn't even know him are unforgivable," Kagome replied tightly.

"I've never seen her be so mean before. Sure, she's an outright bitch with strangers, but not with one of us," Ayumi acknowledged, "The things that she said were just…well, mean."

"She's just jealous," Kagome intoned flatly as she stared at the door of the restaurant waiting for her wayward friend to come storming back in.

"Regardless, she was wrong, and I'm glad you stood up to her," Eri quipped, handing Kagome her purse. Leaning down to pick up her own purse, she finished, "That girl really needs to learn to think before she speaks."

"Yeah, and she'll actually do that when pigs stop stinking," Ayumi quipped jokingly as she shouldered her purse and waited for her friends to head towards the door.

Reaching into her purse, Kagome pulled out one of the ten 100 dollar bills that Inuyasha had shoved in her hand before she got on the plane and dropped it on the table.

Initially, when he'd forced her to take the money, she'd told him that she didn't want it because she had her own in the bank and only needed to go to an ATM when she got to Kyoto. Of course, he insisted by telling her to leave her money where it was and let this trip be his treat. She still didn't feel good about taking money from him, but when he said that it's what 'the boyfriend' does-take care of the girlfriend-she felt obliged to at least humor him.

Hell, up until now, she'd just been using her credit cards and had planned on sneaking the money back into his pocket when she got back the Tokyo.

"Okay, so let's go. You can tell us all about your new boyfriend at the spa," Ayumi whispered, snaking her arm into Kagome's. "So if he's a hanyou what is he mixed with?"

Kagome smiled at her two friends as she pushed her thoughts of Yuka and Inuyasha to the back of her mind. "He's half dog, hence, the Inu part of his name."

The girls laughed as Eri added, "So, does he hump like a dog too?"

Kagome swatted her friend playfully and smiled genuinely, but didn't respond as they stepped out the door of the restaurant and into the sunlight, intent on not letting one jealous friend ruin their time together.

* * *

**_Simonkal of Inuy_**

* * *

The artificial lights hummed quietly, annoying the hell out of him, but Ginta didn't move from his position on his back, his arm bent comfortably behind his head, though comfortable was the last thing that he was.

He'd been held up in the tiny windowless room since the one-sided fight that he'd had with Kouga. He figured that he was supposed to be Kouga's prisoner or something, but he didn't really care about that; what was going to happen was going to happen, wasn't it?

In the days, weeks-he didn't know which-that had passed, the only thing that had seemed to be going right for him was that he appeared to finally be getting through to his brother, Hakkaku. Well, that and based on what he'd heard, Kouga had actually returned without Kagome, which was a definite plus.

Gripping his stomach where he'd been shot, he rolled slowly over on his side away from the door, and sighed. Kouga had yet to come down to see him or rather finish him off, but he was okay with that too.

_He'll be here, _he told himself.

For all intents and purposes, he should have been dead by now, he knew that. After all, the bullet was still lodged in him somewhere between his spine and kidneys. At least that's what the doctor, who Hakkaku had paid to check on him had said.

He could feel his innards attempting to heal itself around the bullet, but it wasn't working. He could also feel his body growing weaker and weaker with each passing day, but for some reason his soul wouldn't let go of this world…this place; it was almost as if he had unfinished business or something.

Only thing was, he hadn't a clue as to what that was. He'd warned Kagome's boyfriend, and it appeared that he'd done a damn good job of protecting her, so that was done, right? He also didn't have a mate or kids or anything along those lines. So, it honestly confused the hell out of him as to why he was still alive.

He quieted his thoughts as he heard the slow gait of shoes against the tiled floor outside his door. Sniffing lightly, he gripped his stomach and pushed himself into a seated position, and then shifted so that his back was against the wall. His knees were raised slightly, allowing that the balls of his feet to hang over the edge of the twin bed.

Running his clawed fingers through his tangled hair, Ginta tried to listen to what was being said to the guard on the other side of the door, but he couldn't make out anything with his current weakened state.

The knob turned and the door opened, revealing his brother, and he relaxed just a little.

"Oi, get your stuff, we're out of here," Hakkaku advised quietly while leaning against the door jam, his hands shoved in the pockets of his baggy jeans.

"What? Why?"

"Do you want to stay here?" Hakkaku asked rhetorically as he reached up and brushed an invisible piece of lint off his spotless thigh length black leather jacket.

Pushing himself to his feet, Ginta stepped quickly into his shoes and reached for his sweatshirt as he questioned, "Did Kouga say I could leave?" He didn't ask because he cared, he just wanted to know, because there was something about the way his brother stood by the door staring into the hallway that unnerved him.

"Do you want to stand there asking questions, or do you want to get the hell out of here?" Hakkaku questioned again. Glancing over at his brother, he finished, "Besides, since when did you need Kouga's permission to do anything?"

Ginta stopped moving and stared at him, his eyes asking him questions that he wasn't totally sure he wanted to know the answers to. Just as he started to toss another question at his brother, Hakkaku's cell phone rang, so, he quieted his thoughts and decided that he'd listen instead and maybe…just maybe he'd get an answer.

"Okay, we're on the way up. I owe you for this one."

Stepping towards Hakkaku as he flipped the phone close and slid it in the pocket of his jacket, Ginta questioned, "He's coming to kill me, isn't he?"

Placing his hand on his brother's shoulder, Hakkaku pushed him gently ahead of him and out the door as he replied, "Not today, Ginta, not today."

Stepping towards the elevator at the end of the hallway, Ginta couldn't shake the feeling that this was some kind of jail break, but he wouldn't ask questions about it again. He would trust his brother to take him wherever it was he was supposed to go.

The elevator dinged, the doors opened and the two brothers got on. Hakkaku pushed the button for the lobby and stepped back deeper into the elevator. His hands were shoved deep within his pockets, his head held high as he inhaled and exhaled deeply as if internalizing something.

"Hakkaku, you remember when we were little? The kids on the playground and at school would always pick on me."

"Yeah, you never would fight back."

Ginta laughed and retorted, "I never had to because you always did it for me."

Hakkaku chuckled dryly, and nodded his head understanding his brothers thought process. "Only difference between now and then is you didn't used to pick the fights."

Ginta stepped back, so that he was shoulder to shoulder with his brother. "You don't have to fight this battle for me, Hakkaku. I did this, knowing what the outcome would be. I'll face my judgment. I…I don't care if Kouga kills me."

"I know you don't," Hakkaku replied softly, and finished in his head, _but I do._

Ginta glanced at him out the corner of his eye, but didn't say anything as he turned his gaze to their reflections. They were so much alike and yet so damn different that at times he found it quite funny that they had actually shared the same womb.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened.

Stepping off, Hakkaku stated offhandedly as if he was just finishing a conversation that was happening in his head, "I'm the oldest, I'm supposed to protect you." Draping his arm around his brother's shoulders, he finished, "I failed you once, I won't do it again. Now come on, Mom's waiting for us."

Ginta chuckled and replied as he watched his brother scan the lobby area quickly as they headed towards the back door, "By two minutes, baka."

Unfortunately, the mood…the camaraderie vanished as the sound of a voice filled with rage, an aura dripping with venom and overflowing with hatred roared up around the two of them.

"E'tu, Hakkaku?" Kouga bellowed from across the lobby.

* * *

**_Simonkal of Inuy_**

* * *

Kouga glared at the back of Hakkaku's head as he came to a stop a few feet away from the two brothers.

He couldn't really say that he was surprised by what he'd stumbled on, but damn didn't it still piss him the fuck off! Was no one trustworthy anymore? Did none of these bastards that he surrounded himself with understand that nothing…abso-fucking-lutely nothing went on around here without his knowledge and say so?

Cracking his knuckles eerily, he hissed, "Oi, you don't hear me fucking talking to you?"

Hakkaku rolled his shoulders slowly as he allowed his arm to fall from his brother's shoulder. After receiving a call from Tito, Kouga's new driver, telling him that Kouga had attacked Ayame and was currently on the warpath. He'd broken every speed limit to get to his brother in order to avoid the carnage that was sure to take place.

He knew why Kouga was coming in. He knew what his plan was and damn it, he just wasn't going to stand idly by any longer and let him use his brother as a punching bag, or worse. Yes, Ginta was wrong for going to Tokyo and keeping information from Kouga…from them, but damn it, he hadn't done a damn thing that was worthy of his death!

Giving Ginta a not so gently shove towards the door, Hakkaku turned slowly, his hands shoved deep within his pockets. He'd never outright challenged Kouga before, but he supposed, as with everything else, there was a first time.

"What exactly do you think you're doing, Hakkaku?" Kouga questioned, his face set in a deep scowl, and his eye's flickering hatefully between Hakkaku and Ginta.

"I'm done, Kouga," Hakkaku stated as he watched 4 or 5 of the guys that he and Ginta ran with, come up behind Kouga as if they were some sort of lynch mob just waiting for their boss to say the word, so that they could attack.

Kouga took a half step forward and turned his right ear towards the demon. "Excuse me, what was that?"

"I said I'm fucking done!" Hakkaku shouted. "You've lost it! For god's sake, Kouga, you attacked your mate!"

Kouga chuckled chillingly and stepped back, his hands shoved in his pockets. "You ain't fucking done until I tell you you're done!" he declared brusquely, ignoring the second half of the younger demon's statement altogether.

"Nah, you've lost your mind. This…what we had here is falling apart because of a piece of pussy that you don't even really want! And I'm… I'm not going to stand here and let you drag me and my brother down with you."

"You and your brother?" Kouga scoffed sardonically. "The two of you would be nothing if it wasn't for me! I dragged your sorry asses, and your drug addicted mother out of the fucking ghetto! I did that! And this is how you two pricks thank me? You…you were supposed to be my damn right hand, Hakkaku! But when I needed you where the hell were you, huh? And him, I gave him one…one measly fucking job to do and he backstabbed me!"

"You shot my brother, Kouga! You shot my only fucking brother! What the hell did you think was going to happen?" Hakkaku snapped quickly. "Did you think that I was going to side with you over him? Did you seriously think that I'd be alright with that?"

"I backstabbed you?" Ginta shouted incredulously, stepping around his brother quickly. "You let him rape her! You let that asshole rape her, and you actually expected me to find her for you so it can happen again? You stood there that night and you laughed about it like it was some kind of fucking joke! You actually stood there laughing while he was fucking her! Fuck you, Kouga!"

"I should've shot you in your fucking head when I had the chance," Kouga ground out between clenched teeth as he took another step forward, his hands still buried deep within his pockets. "She was my fucking woman; I could do with her as I chose!" He laughed and finished snidely, "You're just mad that I didn't give you a chance to fuck her!"

"Stop talking about her like she's a fucking piece of meat, you bastard!" Ginta roared angrily. "She's not some toy you can play with whenever you get bored with Ayame! You never deserved her! You…You…" His fist clenched and unclenched repeatedly as he gripped his side and sneered hatefully, "You don't deserve either of them!"

Kouga laughed at that. "Maybe not, but they're mine, aren't they?"

It was Ginta's turn to laugh. "You may have Ayame, but Inuyasha has Kagome now. And from the looks of it, you weren't strong enough to take her from him!"

Kouga took another step forward, his nostrils flaring angrily as he hissed with rage, "Before this is over and done with, Ginta, I will watch the life drain from eyes, you ungrateful bastard!"

"Whatever, Kouga, am I supposed to be scared now?" Ginta quipped mockingly.

Hakkaku stepped up grabbing Ginta's arm and pushing him back behind him. "Like I said, we're done."

"And like I said, you're not fucking done until I tell you you're done," Kouga snapped back as he pulled one hand out of his pocket and motioned for his cronies to surround the two brothers.

Hakkaku stared slowly around at the guys whom he at one time ordered around. He knew most of them were too young and too stupid to actually think for themselves, so if he was looking for any help in this bunch, he damn sure wasn't about to find it.

Stepping back, he hissed to Ginta, "Get out of here. I left some cash in the car for you."

"No, I'm not going anywhere without you," he responded, determined to see this through to the end.

Hakkaku growled low in his throat as he eyed the group that was slowly drawing closer to them. He knew he wouldn't be able to take them all on in a fistfight and win, so that only left one thing to do.

"You never fucking listen, Ginta," he hissed quickly as he shoved his brother roughly to the side, pulled his gun from the back of his waistband and fired five consecutive shots to the right and left of him while diving to the side and landing on top of his brother.

"Stay the fuck down!" he shouted as he swiftly eyed his handy work. He had always been something of a marksman when it came to guns, so he knew he'd hit the targets.

He'd all shot five of the young guys, catching two of them that had drawn their weapons in their hands and the other three in their kneecaps incapacitating them quickly, which only left Kouga and two other youkai's that he knew wouldn't be that easy to do away with.

Turning his attention to Kouga who was standing in the same spot he'd been in before, looking less than impressed, Hakkaku pushed back away from Ginta and glared up him.

"So, this is what it's come to, Hakkaku? You're really a traitor? You're really turning your back on family…on the syndicate?"

Hakkaku stood slowly to his feet, his eyes trained on his former boss. "No, for once I'm not turning my back on _my _family. For once, I'm standing by it!"

"Bullshit!" Kouga bellowed angrily. "That sniveling bitch isn't your fucking family! Family takes care of family when they can't take care of themselves! Family is you and I, damn it! Family doesn't turn on family! Family-"

"Family doesn't turn on family?" Hakkaku questioned incredulously, cutting him off. "What the hell did you do to Ginta? He was family when you shot him, wasn't he? What about Dinshu, Kouga?" the wolf demon questioned. "Do you really expect us to believe that he slipped and fell off of a damn building? Come the fuck on, we all know that Dinshu had the dexterity of a cat; he would never have slipped off of a building! Did you kill him? Did he get between you and Kagome?" Hakkaku laughed dryly and finished, "Even though you let him fuck her once before, did he forget his place this time, _Boss_?"

Kouga growled in annoyance, but didn't answer as he lowered his head and glared back at the demon that was sorely trying his patience. He had no intention of fighting with Hakkaku, but Ginta… Lord knows he wanted to taste his blood on his tongue! He wanted to feel the warmth of it as it ran through his fingers! And damn-it, he needed to watch the bastard draw his last fucking breath!

However, he also knew that if Hakkaku didn't shut the fuck up, he'd have no problem substituting the two of them!

"I'm right, ain't I? You had him killed, didn't you? That's why you had Maki and Moki fly out there." Taking Kouga's silence as all the answer he was going to get, Hakkaku continued as he watched the two remaining demons that were standing with Kouga step back away from him, their eyes filled with confusion and distrust, "You did it, didn't you? You had Din killed because of that bitch! What the hell did he do, Kouga? Did he look at her too hard? Did he tell you how fucking stupid you were acting? Did…did-"

"Shut the fuck up! You don't know what the hell you're talking about, Hakkaku!" Kouga growled as he took a step towards his one time confidant and best friend.

"I don't know what the hell I'm talking about?" Hakkaku stated quizzically. "I know that before you discovered this newfound obsession with Kagome, Din was alive and Ginta hadn't been shot! I know that before you started this asinine ass hunt for her, the syndicate wasn't the laughing stock of Kyoto! I know before you lost your fucking mind over a piece of pussy, we had a boss that we all respected and would've died for!"

As the last words fell from Hakkaku's lips time twisted unto itself, blurred into a million millenniums and slowed as the rapid sound of thunder echoed in the ears of the occupants and the smell of gunpowder filled the lobby.

Ginta screamed and charged towards his brother, screaming his name with an urgency that Hakkaku hadn't heard before.

Hakkaku looked at him quickly, and then back at Kouga and pondered offhandedly when Kouga had drawn his weapon and why he hadn't noticed it. Ginta's body collided with his, knocking him over and sending both of them tumbling to the floor roughly.

His head hit the floor hard and he had to take a moment to gather his bearings before he trusted himself to move. _What the hell just happened? _It only took him a moment to figure out that Kouga had shot at him, but he didn't feel any pain, so figured he'd missed, which was always a good thing.

"Ginta, get off me," Hakkaku whispered quickly attempting to push his brother up off of him.

There was no response.

He shoved him again, but still he didn't move. "Ginta, stop playing, move your fat ass," he ordered again in an attempt to keep the slimy fingers of trepidation from creeping up his spine.

It didn't work.

All at once the metallic scent of blood filled his nostrils and clogged the back of his throat almost to the point that he was tasting it as if he had just drank a glass of the stuff.

Everything around him melted away as he pushed his brother off of him and shifted so that he was kneeling beside him.

"Ginta! Ginta!" he screamed feverishly as he stared down at his younger brother. Blood was draining from the side of his mouth, and a large circle of blood was forming in the front of his chest. "No, no, no! Ginta!" he called frantically.

Hakkaku stared up at Kouga, who was standing a few feet away from him staring back at him with a blank expression on his face and for a moment he forgot that he'd done this, that he'd…that he'd just tried to kill him and had instead shot his brother.

"Call an ambulance!" he shouted. "Please…Please, Kouga, call…call an ambulance," he bellowed again as he felt a weak grip on the front of his shirt and heard a harsh whisper of his name.

"Hak…Kaku… Brother?"

"Don't talk, Ginta. Don't talk, okay? We're getting help. Kouga, he's going to get help. Just…Just lie still, okay?"

Ginta tried to laugh as his eyes stared vacantly up at the ceiling, his body sporadically shaking as if he was cold. "Late," he whispered right before a ragged cough echoed through his parted lips causing blood to splatter from his lungs and onto his brother's worried face. "I have no…regrets," he forced out weakly, "None."

Hakkaku lifted his brother's head and laid it in his lap. He stared down at him with wide eyes as realization began to swallow him whole. Reality…the things that were happening around him were just too ugly. He didn't have the strength or the mental fortitude to face them right now…not now.

"Don't…don't talk, Ginta. Don't…"

"I…I did it. I…I protected you this time," Ginta whispered as another cough ripped through him, sending a violent tremor throughout his body.

Hakkaku clutched him closer, pulled his head to his chest and hugged him. "Don't…don't you fucking leave me, Ginta! Don't…don't you… I… Mom is going to be so pissed at you if you leave! She cooked your favorite meal, Ginta. She…she cooked Crab Rangoon just the way you like it." He was reaching for words that his mind couldn't quite grasp! He just needed him to stay…to hang on just a little longer!

Hakkaku looked up and glared at Kouga and the other two demons that were just standing there looking at him, all of them with varying expressions that he wasn't in the right state of mind to comprehend. "Please," he begged as a tear slipped down his cheek. "Please, Kouga." He choked back a sob as he felt his brother twist his fist into the front of his shirt and cough up another lung full of blood. "He's my brother! He's my only brother! Please, you can't let him die. You can't just stand there," he finished weakly.

"Kakku," Ginta whispered drawing his attention back to him. He wheezed heavily, gripped his brother's chin and used the last of his strength to pull his brother's face down to his, "I'm…sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't listen. I'm…sorry I wasn't stronger."

Tears trailed down Hakkaku's face as he listened to his brother ramble on about nonsense, which could only mean that death was calling. "Shut up, baka, I…I'm the one that's sorry. I should've protected you. I…I wasn't strong enough! Damn it, Ginta, I should've never let you join! I should've…"

Ginta's body shook and quaked against his own, cutting him off as his eyes bulged in their sockets and the claws of his hand that was still holding Hakkaku's face dug into his skin as if trying to desperately hold on to what little life it could.

In that same instance, his body went limp, his hand slipped from Hakkaku's face to land on his bloodied chest as his eyes rolled to the back of his head for the final time, and his eyelids partially closed.

"No, you can't! You can't leave me, you idiot! We're twins! You and I, we're inseparable! You can't," he mumbled desperately as he lifted his brother's lifeless hand a few times and tried placing it over his shoulder so that one would think that they were hugging, but each time it slipped back down fortifying the answer to the one question that Hakkaku didn't want to ask.

Hakkaku stared down at his brother's face, his chest heaving up and down, his blood thrumming painfully through his veins. He'd seen death before, he'd killed before, and he had no right to be feeling anything right now. But this… His chest…his heart, it ached painfully as he watched the life drain from his brother…his twin's eyes. He was the one person that had been with him from conception and now…now he was…

He pulled Ginta's body to him and cradled it close as he broke down, his shoulders shaking, tears draining from eyes. His very being…his youkai cried out in pain and agony.

This wasn't supposed to happen, not like this! He was supposed to just get him out of here, take him home to eat dinner with their mother and then put him on a plane! This…This wasn't supposed to happen like this! His brother wasn't supposed to die today! He wasn't supposed to die!

_Not like this! Gods in heaven not like this!_

"Don't leave me. Don't… You stupid prick! Don't… I'm supposed to protect you! You're not supposed to protect me," he cried pathetically as he leaned forward protectively over his brother's body and continued to weep. "I'm sorry! Gods, please forgive me! I'm sorry! Don't take him! Don't take him!"

Somewhere in the back of his head, he knew he should've been paying attention. He should've been locating his gun and firing it at the bastard that had done this, but he couldn't find it in him to care.

He could feel the cold steel of the barrel against the base of his head, he heard the sound of a trigger being pulled and the click of the hammer that should've been followed by a loud bang, and damn it, it should've scared him. It should've made him sit up and say or do something, but as he pulled his brother's ashen body closer and wept into his unmoving and blood soaked chest all he could think was why, why wasn't he dead instead of Ginta. Why would he be given a second chance when he hadn't done a damn thing to deserve one?

Kouga stepped back, dropping the gun that had jammed, from that back of Hakkaku's head to the floor as he stated coldly while turning and starting towards the back door, "I told you, you're not done until I tell you you're done."

Neither of the two parties noticed the fiery red head with the emerald greens eyes and a broken heart standing over in the far corner of the room, hidden deep within the shadows.

Her eyes were filled with tears and her heart was heavy with pain and grief as she stared at the bloody scene before her and tried to make sense of the things that she had just heard her mate say and the things she'd watched him do.

**Until Next Time**…(Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated!!)

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Next Chapter: **Two Peas in Pod**

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_**Acknowledgements**_: (All others have been sent PM's.)

**Madi**: Thanks for the reminder of HL's anniversary, it seriously slipped my mind. Damn, time flies when you're having fun!! Thanks for your review!!

**Wolfie**: I'm so sorry for your loss, but I'm glad that I was able to make you at least smile. Thanks for your review!!

**Jin**: Thanks for your continued reviews, my friend. You are definitely a trooper!!


	51. Two Peas in a Pod

**A/N**: As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness!! Some of you seem to believe that Hakkaku is dead, well he is not. Kouga did try to kill him, but the gun jammed. Ginta however, is totally full of maggots as of now. That said, thanks to all of you who continue to review and read this fic. I know it's been ongoing for more than a little while, but you can't really rush angst, can you? If I did, you guys wouldn't be reading this, you'd be hitting the delete button…lol. Anyway, happy early mother's day to the few mothers reading this fic, and a special thanks and Happy Mother's Day to my lovely, darling, beta, Neko!!

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**Disclaimer**: I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, Nola, Takira, Gage, Dr. Aikio, Maki, and Moki. All others belong to the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi.

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**Chapter 51:**

**Two Peas in a Pod**

She ignored the many faces that passed her as she stalked through the mall with no final destination in mind. She was fuming, pissed, and downright livid because of the happenings of a few hours ago, and no matter how hard she tried to minimalize it, she just couldn't!

_How dare she fucking hit me, _she thought angrily as she subconsciously rubbed her cheek that was still a little flushed from where Kagome had struck her.

She knew that maybe she had taken her little spew about hanyous a bit too far, but she took everything a too far, didn't she? Hell, that was her thing; they all knew that. That aside, it never resulted in anything like this!

Sure, she meant what she said; he was a fucking hanyou, a nobody, and Kagome really didn't need to be wasting her time on him because it wasn't going to go anywhere. She didn't need to meet him to know that!

_Her relationships never go anywhere, _she surmised quickly as she stopped at a window that was littered with different versions of pumps and stiletto boots.

She fucking hit me! She fucking…hit…me; her friend of God knows how long, over some impotent fucking hanyou that she's only known a few months! That bitch!

She honestly didn't want to be angry with Kagome, and she probably wouldn't have been, had the whole hitting thing not occurred, but with every move of her cheek, it was a staunch reminder of what had happened.

Not to mention, Kagome's outburst after the fact, kept echoing in her head. _"Don't forget to pay your bill, you broke bitch!" _

How dare she treat me like that? She knows why I couldn't finish college, she knows why and still… Every fucking chance she gets she throws it up in my face!

In the back of her mind, she knew that wasn't the total truth, because Kagome had been nothing but supportive to her when she found out that her parents had squandered her college money on gambling debts, forcing her to drop out of school and take a job so that her father's legs wouldn't be broken.

Even knowing that, she still couldn't stop those words from twisting through her mind. She knew that she'd probably only said it to hurt her because of the things she'd said about her hanyou boyfriend, but damn it…

Yuka pushed away from the window and stomped inside the shop. Shuffling over to a pair of black leather thigh high boots with silver and gold buckles running up and down the side, she sighed heavily and decided that maybe if she bought herself something nice, it would help her get over their little spat even quicker.

Turning, she quickly eyed the young man behind the counter. "Can you get me a size five in these?" she questioned rhetorically, knowing that he'd have to regardless of whether he wanted to or not.

"Sure," the guy replied before disappearing into the backroom of the store.

Shuffling over to one of the cushioned seats, she sat down and began to slowly tug off her worn ankle high boots. Stretching out her leg, she rolled her foot to the right and back again to the left in an attempt to loosen up the bones of her ankle.

Leaning forward, she planted both her hands on either side of the chair she was sitting in and stared around the vacant store aimlessly in an attempt to keep her mind off of Kagome and the mean spirited things she'd said to her, but just like that, her voice was back in her head taunting and teasing her.

"Just forget that we're friends! …broke bitch! I'll put my foot so far up your ass…"

She growled, cutting her own thought off. This wasn't helping! It was only serving to make her even madder and more pissed!

"Well, this has got to be my luck day," a smooth voice stated over her shoulder.

Yuka turned, prepared to swing out on the person that was invading her personal space. When she saw who it was, she growled instead and swung back around, her arms crossed beneath her full breasts, and a very pronounced pout on her face.

"What, you're not even going to greet me, Yuka?" he drawled as he made his way around the partition to stand directly in front her, his trademark smirk on his lips.

She huffed, not even wanting to acknowledge him as she slowly took him in from head to toe and back again. _Son of a bitch, _she hissed silently as her eyes took in the way his alligator shoes matched his belt, the way his slacks hugged his hips almost too perfectly, leaving just enough to the imagination, and the way his button downed shirt showed just enough of his powerful chest.

She rolled her eyes and tried to ignore the way his biceps that were crossed over his chest pulsated sensually as if calling her name. Her eyes came back to him, roamed a little higher and stopped on his iridescent blue ones. Once again, she realized why Kagome made such a fool of herself for him during the years that they dated.

"What the fuck do you want, Kouga?" she huffed while running her fake acrylic nails through her cropped mane.

He laughed haughtily and sat down beside her. "You know that mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble one day."

She rolled her eyes, and shifted away from him as she snapped, "It hasn't yet!"

"Well there's a first time for everything, isn't there?"

Yuka eyed him closely, but she didn't comment about what he'd said, instead she queried abrasively, her neck rolling with every syllable that fell from her lips, "Once again, what…do…you…want?"

"I don't want anything. I happened to see you walking all by your lonesome and you looked like you could use a friend."

Yuka scoffed with disdain, "A friend? Please, as if you could ever be anyone's friend!"

Kouga chuckled softly as he leaned in closer to her. Reaching around her shoulder, he lightly fingered her right earlobe and whispered seductively, "We were friends once, weren't we?"

She swatted his hand away and moved a seat down from him as she bite out, "That will never happen again, you son of a bitch! And don't you ever touch me again!"

Kouga actually had the audacity to laugh as he moved down, claiming the seat she'd just vacated. "It was fun, you know it was. If I think hard enough, I think I can still remember the way you screamed my name." He chuckled again, and sat back, his arms draped over the back of the chair. "You were so fucking wet, you remember? You had the sheets soaked." He leaned in and whispered softly, "You remember as you road my dick you kept asking if Kagome fucked me like you did?" He watched her visibly shrink back away from him at the memory and he finished, "See, you do remember. We were really good friends, weren't we?"

Yuka stood to her feet and stomped away from him. "You took advantage of me! You knew I was high! I was drunk for gods-sake and you took advantage of me!"

Kouga stood as well and stepped towards her. "Call it what you want, but I damn sure didn't force my dick into that hot little mouth of yours." He leaned into her, so that he was a breath away and intoned, "You know what I remember most about that night?" He didn't wait for her to answer before he finished, "When you told me that my cum tasted like coconut water. Do you still like coconut water, Yuka?"

Yuka swung out frantically, trying to slap him hard across the face, but he caught her hand and pulled her roughly against his chest.

Kouga laughed as he allowed his hand that was wrapped around her back to slip down to her lower back, forcing her closer to him. "No hitting, because with the day that I'm having, I can't promise you that I won't hit back."

This was so wrong that as she fought against his hold, she almost broke down. She remembered that night clearly and she remembered the guilt she'd felt afterwards whenever she saw Kagome or whenever she saw the two of them together.

She didn't have an explanation for why she did what she did. She didn't understand it, but she knew…she knew he hadn't really taken advantage of her. Sure, a better man would've pushed her away, but he…he accepted her advances and for one night, it was just her and him. For one night, she had something that Kagome had. For one night, she and Kagome were on even footing.

Yuka shivered against him and quickly pushed back away from him in hopes that he wouldn't see that she was so turned on right now that if he said the right words they could have a repeat of that night.

He let go of her thankfully, but she stepped back so quickly that she bumped into the rack of shoes behind her. "I'm so sick of this shit! I swear if one more person threatens to hit me or put their foot anywhere near my ass, I'm going to go ballistic!"

Kouga watched her walk around him as if he were a diseased vagrant, and all he could do was laugh, because he could smell the real reason why she was acting the way she was.

She laughed dryly when he sat down next to her again. "What? For the sake of the gods, just tell me what you want! Matter of fact, don't and just leave me alone!"

"I think I'll sit here for a little longer. After all, I lost a really good friend today and you still look like you could use one."

Yuka rolled her eyes and scanned the store making a quick note of the two barbarians that appeared to be guarding the door of the store. "Yeah, well that makes two of us."

"Two of us? You lost a friend today? Say it isn't so," Kouga advised playfully, his voice just above a whisper and so damn enticing that she had to shift in her seat to try to quell the wetness that was growing there. "How did you lose your friend, I shot mine."

"That bitch had the audacity to slap me, so I decided that we weren't friends anymore," she told him, not really paying attention to the last thing he'd said.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry about the wait. We just got these shoes in and I had to unpack them in order to find your size," the guy from earlier stated, handing her the large box.

Taking the package from him, she dismissed him with a flip of her wrist and then opened the box and made quick work of tearing off the paper that was wrapped around the boot and removing the wads of paper that was shoved into the pointed toe.

"So, is this a new friend or one of the hens? Wasn't it Eri, and Ay...Aikumi… Shit, I don't remember that bitch's name. What was it?" Kouga asked conversationally.

Not really paying attention to him as she carefully scanned the boot, she replied, "It's Ayumi, and no we're still friends; at least, I think we are. But I wouldn't be surprised if we're not. They always side with Kagome over me." After locating the hidden zipper, she unzipped the boot and placed it on the floor before her. "That bitch had the temerity to slap me today, because she didn't like what I had said about her little erectile dysfunctional boyfriend. And then she calls me a broke bitch. Fuck her; I don't know who she thinks she is!"

Kouga licked his lips as he watched her backside closely while allowing her words to be absorbed in his mind. _Wait, did she just say that Kagome…my Kagome slapped her? That means… Shit that has to mean…_

Zipping the boot up, she took a few steps towards the full length mirror and stared at her reflection as she continued with her rant, oblivious to the fact that she was telling the secrets of the gods to the devil himself, "They're always sucking up to her like she's so much better than us! So what she has a fucking law degree! So fucking what she's partner in a fucking law firm. That doesn't mean shit! I just want her to take her stuck-up, uptight ass, back to Tokyo!"

Kouga ran his hand over his mouth in order to hide his smile. He hadn't expected anything like this when he'd first seen Yuka, but damn it…damn it…damn it…this was turning out to be a great day.

Ginta and Dinshu were fucking dead, Hakkaku seemed to have gotten the picture, and now he'd just found out that Kagome was back in Kyoto where she belonged. Life couldn't get any better.

Smoothing out his features, he questioned, "Damn, Kagome hit you?"

"Yeah, that bitch did! She just better be glad that Eri wouldn't let me get my hands on her!"

"You guys are friends; you really don't need to carrying on like that. How long is she here for?" he questioned, mindful of keeping his tone neutral.

"Friends? We ain't friends no more! Well, at least not until she apologizes to me," she intoned as she sat down beside him and started removing the boot from her foot. "I don't know how long she's here for, but the sooner she leaves the happier I'll be."

Kouga chuckled softly, his mind moving a mile a minute as he watched her repack the boots into the box. "So this boyfriend of hers…"

Yuka stood to her feet and started towards the counter, but stopped and turned to him. "Why the hell are you so interested? Don't tell me you still have feelings for her, because I'm sure she has none for you. She's all in love with that fucking hanyou now."

Kouga wanted to growl and slit her throat with his bare claws, but he refrained as he stood and started towards her. "Feelings, nah, never that. I just wanted to make sure she was okay is all."

She looked like she didn't believe him, but she left it alone just the same and for that he was thankful. This was the closest he'd actually gotten to getting to Kagome and it seemed to be almost too fucking easy, but he couldn't dwell on that now. A chance was presenting itself; he was damn sure going to take it.

"Would you like anything else with this?" the clerk asked as Yuka slide the box across the counter.

"No, that's it."

The clerk hit a couple of buttons on the register as Kouga started towards the door, but he stopped abruptly as a thought occurred to him; one that he'd use if he got the chance.

"Your total is $2517.96," the gentleman stated as he started to slide the boots into an oversize carry bag for her.

Yuka gasped, knowing she couldn't afford that, but she was too embarrassed to say anything as Kagome words twisted through her mind for the umpteenth time, _"…broke bitch!" _She growled furiously and pulled her wallet from her purse as if the inanimate object had offended her in someway.

Stepping up behind her quickly, Kouga handed the guy some cash. "Here, that should take care of it."

"No, you don't have to do that! I'm…I can buy it myself!" She knew it was a lie, but she had to try to save face somehow.

"I know you can, but you've been such a good _friend_ to me, that I feel I should do something nice for you," Kouga declared chivalrously while stepping away from the counter and starting towards the door of the establishment.

"Sir, your change," the clerk called.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he stated cheerily, "Give it to her."

Taking the change that was easily more than $ 300.00 and the bag from the guy, Yuka ran out the store and in the direction that Kouga and his goons were slowly walking in.

"Kouga," she called stepping up behind him.

"Yeah?" he questioned blandly, his face innocent…too innocent.

"I'm…I'm not sleeping with you!"

"Why, you don't like coconut water anymore?"

Yuka growled, a rosy hue blossoming over her cheeks, but she didn't respond verbally.

Kouga laughed. "Wow, what a way to thank someone that has just bought you a pair of $2500 dollar boots, Yuka."

"I'm serious; I'm not sleeping with you. So, we can take these boots back right now!"

Kouga stepped towards her, slipped his arm around her shoulder and started walking with her as if they were a couple. "Fine, I won't ask you to sleep with me. So, will you at least eat with me, Yuka?"

"What?" she questioned staring up at him unsure of whether she could honestly trust him. Of course, she didn't, but this was the nicest thing that anyone had ever done for her.

Kouga laughed and as much as she hated it, once again, she realized how and why he was able to get away with so much during his relationship with Kagome. The damn man had a way of disarming a woman that was unlike anything she'd ever witnessed in her life. His smell, his smile, the sound of his voice, the color of his eyes; they were all weapons against the opposite sex.

"Kouga, am I going to regret this?"

"No woman, it's nothing like that. And you don't have to pay me back for the boots, but you do have to eat dinner with me and…"

Yuka stopped and huffed agitatedly, "Oh God, here it comes. You want me to sleep with someone else or do something illegal, don't you?"

Kouga tugged her along again as he eyed the stores around them curiously looking for nothing in particular. "Nope and nope. I just want you to do me one little favor and we're even." She started to say something, but he cut her off and finished, "We'll talk about it over dinner, okay? I feel like sake; how about you?"

She couldn't shake the feeling that she was in no way going to like where this was going. However, as long as it had nothing to do with letting him and his goons run a train on her, or her carrying out anything that could land her in jail, she supposed that she could at the very least listen to what he had to say.

After all, after the day that she'd had, he really was making her day so much better.

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**_Simonkal of Inuy_**

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The hanyou grabbed the baby bottles, and bumped the door to the refrigerator closed with his hip as he tried to balance the cell phone he was talking on between his head and shoulder. "Why do you sound like that? Did something happen?"

"No, nothing…" Kagome started to say, and then amended her statement altogether, "Well, I kind of got into a fight with one of my friends earlier today, and it's kind of bothering me."

Inuyasha sat the bottles down on the counter and pulled a small stainless steel pot down from the rack. Filling it halfway full with water, he then turned the stove on and sat the bottles in the center of the pot, and then sat the pot on the stove.

"You guys didn't like throw blows or nothing, did you?"

"Well…well, I hit her. I mean at that time I was so upset that it was all I could do, but now that I've had sometime to think about it, I feel like I could've handled the situation better than that. Not to mention, I shouted some things at her that I know I shouldn't have said."

The hanyou sighed as he leaned back against the counter of his brother's kitchen, his legs crossed at his ankles. "Did you have a good reason for hitting her?"

"At the time I thought it was a good reason, and I still think it was, but we've been friends for so long that I know I shouldn't have let her get to me like that."

"I see," he quipped. "So you going to tell me why you felt you had to hit her?" She was quiet for a long moment and Inuyasha took that as a no, so he decided quickly that he wasn't going to push it. "Look, if you're feeling that bad, call her and apologize. Otherwise, just let it go. If you two are real friends, it'll work itself out eventually."

"You think?" she queried hopefully.

The hanyou laughed. "Honestly, I really don't know; it's not like I have that many friends that I can actually speak from experience or anything."

Kagome giggled on the other end of the phone, and the hanyou pushed up off the counter and walked towards the backdoor, one hand shoved deep within his pocket, the other holding his cell.

Staring out at the massive side yard, he couldn't believe that he'd actually let Rin talk him into babysitting again. After the first time, he'd told them never again because the twins cried so fucking much, but two days later here he was again, playing Mr. Fucking Nanny.

Of course, he didn't mind spending time with his nephews, but damn it, this was serious women's work! Feeding them, burping them, changing their shitty diapers, yeah, this was definitely bitch work!

Pushing the storm door open, he shouted, "Get your ass away from there, Ashton! I swear, I'm not taking you to the vet if you stung!"

"What's he doing, Takahashi?"

"Barking at a beehive or something," he replied as he stepped out onto the small porch. "Ashton!" he called again.

"Go get him," Kagome ordered from the other end of the phone.

"No Wench, I don't think I'm going to that," he replied, and then finished, "If I go pull him away from it then how will he learn?"

"Takahashi Inuyasha, don't let my dog get stung!"

"Higurashi Kagome, if you're so concerned then maybe you should bring your sexy little ass back home and do it yourself," he replied, stepping down off the step and into the yard. His eyes were trained on Ashton, who looked like he was about to start climbing the damn tree. "Besides, would you rather I get stung or Ashton?"

Kagome laughed and replied, "Well, you of course."

"Damn Wench, way to bruise a guy's ego," he stated, knowing she was only half joking. Removing the phone from the side of his head, the hanyou stepped further into the yard, and shouted, "Ashton, get your ass over here now!"

As those words fell from his lips, the hanyou heard the loud buzzing of the bees rise by more than a few decibels. He stepped back, his eyes still trained on the beehive and 'the girlfriend's' dog.

Ashton yelped and turned without warning and charged towards him, barking and yelping like something was biting into him. He stopped, hopped around in a circle on his hind legs and bite at the air around him before he fell on his back as he continued to yelp loudly as if calling out for help.

Inuyasha stepped back again, glanced around him for a water hose or something that would be able to get the bees off of the damn animal.

"I told your ass to leave it alone, didn't I?" he shouted as he turned and broke into a run the moment he saw Ashton pitch back up and charge toward him again.

"Get the fuck away from me! I told you, I fucking told you," he bellowed over his shoulder as he tore around the corner of the house trying to outrun the bees and damn dog that was following behind him a little too closely.

"Don't run this way! Go in the other direction," he shouted, knowing the damn dog wasn't understanding a goddamn thing he was saying.

"Hoko!" he screamed as he turned another corner and ran towards the greenhouse, knowing there would be a water hose there. "Turn the fucking water on! Bees! Fucking bees!"

He glanced behind him again, the cell phone still gripped tightly in his hand, and he silently cursed Ashton to the deepest bowels of the seven hells as he felt the first sting on the side of his neck.

The hanyou stumbled as he slapped at it, and fell face first into the emerald green grass. He tried to push himself up and run again, but Ashton leapt at him from behind, knocking him to ground again, which caused the cell phone to slip from his hand and slide across the grass and a few feet away from him.

"Fuck! Shit!" he hissed as he tried to push the dog away with one hand while swatting at the bees with his other hand! "Son of a bitch! Hoko, where the fuck is the water? Where the fuck is the water?"

If he wasn't sure that he was delirious at the moment, he would've sworn that he heard the emotionally challenged butler chuckle, but as the feel of a powerful water flow hit him, he pushed that thought to the back of his mind and curled into a ball.

The hanyou tried to hold his position, but between the water stinging his back, chest, shoulders, and stomach, and the audaciousness of the three or four bees that continued to flit around his ears and face, he had no choice but to strike out at the air around him in hopes that maybe he could knock a few of them away.

It was a fruitless venture.

"Hoko, get Ashton! I think he took the worse of it!" Inuyasha shouted quickly as he carefully raised his head and opened his eyes to glance around. "I swear if those fucking stings don't kill him, I'm going to do it myself!" he groundout as he felt another pinch from a stinger on his forearm, and another on his left shoulder.

Swatting at both of them, he jumped to his feet and ran towards Hoko, who was now spraying Ashton where he laid on the ground whimpering pathetically.

"Still mischievous, I see," Hoko declared mildly, his face just as expressionless as ever.

"Fuck you," the hanyou bit out angrily, knowing that that comment was meant for him because when he was little, he was notorious for stuff like this.

Situating himself safely behind the man with the hose, Inuyasha quickly began to scan the grass for his phone. Spotting it as Hoko turned the water off, he stalked towards it and picked it up while watching Ashton push to his feet and limp the short distance to him.

Rubbing the spot on his neck where he'd gotten bit, he placed the phone to his ear and immediately regretted not just hanging it up.

Kagome was on the other end losing her goddamn mind! She was laughing so hard, the damned woman was snorting between breaths! Even though he couldn't be sure, he would've sworn that she was probably holding her sides as she doubled over on the toilet in the bathroom where she was had gone to find some privacy when he'd called her 20 minutes earlier.

The hanyou closed his eyes, counted to 15 and ground out, "Wench!"

She was still laughing as she answered, "So…rry! I'm… Me sorry! Oh God! Oh god! Inu…"

"You ain't fucking sorry! And this shit ain't funny, either!"

He could tell that she was doing her damnedest to stop laughing, but it appeared that whatever image she had in her head of what had just taken place was still just a little too funny for his liking.

Annoyed and embarrassed, Inuyasha snapped, "You know what, keep laughing, Kagome! This shit ain't fucking funny! I just got stung by fucking bees because of your fucking dog!"

And she continued to laugh, if not even harder than before.

"You know what? Bye! Bye! I don't want to talk to you anymore! And don't call me back!" he snapped agitatedly as he flipped the phone close and hung up on her. "Stupid Wench and her stupid dog," he ground out as he started alternating between scratching at his neck, shoulder, and forearm where he'd been bitten.

Glancing down at Ashton, who was now laying at his feet, Inuyasha growled as he knelt down quickly and scooped the dog up like a sack of bones. Tossing him over his shoulder, he continued to scratch at his neck as he proceeded back towards the house.

"Master Takahashi?" Hoko stated from somewhere behind him.

Inuyasha didn't even look back as he answered brusquely, "What?!?"

"Young Masters Takira and Gage, have you fed them?"

"Shit," he bit out as he quickened his gait towards the house. "Fuck! The milk, I left it on the fucking stove!"

"I see," Hoko stated. "I'll let you see to that while I find something to put on your and Ashton's stings."

For some reason it appeared to Inuyasha that the prick took a little too much pleasure in saying that, but then he wasn't really in his right mind right now to say anything that he wouldn't regret later.

"Whatever," the hanyou replied as he pulled open the storm door to the kitchen and entered the house. Picking up the two bottles of milk that was thankfully just starting to boil, the hanyou ignored the sound of his cell phone ringing as he continued through the house.

Stopping long enough to lay Ashton on the couch until he was done with the twins, Inuyasha started up the stairs towards the nursery as his phone that had stopped ringing started up again.

Pulling it out of his pocket, he flipped it open and bit out, "I told you not to call me again, didn't I?" Balancing the phone between his head and shoulder, he quickly pulled open the linen closet and grabbed a big fluffy white towel. Quickly unfolding the towel, he started to dab at his face, neck and chest as he waited for an answer.

The only thing that greeted him was the sound of the fucking girlfriend continuing to laugh her head off at his situation as she tried but failed miserably to say whatever she was trying to say.

Whatever it was, he couldn't honestly give two shits at the moment! His ego was bruised, and his pride beaten by a cackling wench, a horde of fucking bees, and a goddamn dog!

Stopping outside the nursery, he hissed, "You'll see how fucking funny this is when I get my hands you, Wench!" Not giving her a chance to respond, he flipped the phone closed and stepped into the room so that he could feed his nephews.

_That shit really wasn't that fucking funny!_

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

Her red locks danced on the light wind that was blowing around her, but she paid it little mine as her eyes scanned up and down the sidewalk to the right and left of her.

The night air was cold against the skin of her face, causing her to shiver unconsciously and bring her sweater clad arms up to encircle her tiny waist.

Ayame stepped back and leaned lethargically against the pearl colored Lexus that her mate had given her a few months back as an anniversary gift.

She wasn't sure why she'd driven all the way out here. She wasn't even sure that she'd remembered the directions after all this time, but here she was. She supposed that after hearing what she had, the jealous part of her wanted to confront the other woman. It wanted…it needed closure-if that made any sense.

Her head lowered as her innards twisted into themselves. She was nervous, scared, unsure, and confused, but she refused to turn around. She refused to back down from this confrontation. She needed someone to tell her the truth!

His words and the words that Hakkaku shouted back at him floated back through her head as if it were a haunting melody, or a sordid half-tale from a John Grisham novel.

"_Did you kill him? Did he get between you and Kagome?" Hakkaku laughed dryly and finished, "Even though you let him fuck her once before, did he forget his place this time, _Boss_?"_

"_You did it, didn't you? You had Din killed because of that fucking bitch! What the fuck did he do Kouga? Did he look at her too fucking hard? Did he tell you how fucking stupid you were acting? Did…did-"_

"_Shut the fuck up! You don't know what the fuck you're talking about, Hakkaku!" Kouga hissed as he took a step towards his one time confidant and best-friend._

"_I don't know what the fuck I'm talking about?" Hakkaku questioned quizzically. "I know that before you discovered this newfound obsession with Kagome, Din was alive and Ginta hadn't been shot! I know that before you started this fucking hunt for her, the syndicate wasn't the laughing stock of Kyoto! I know before you lost your fucking mind over a piece of fucking pussy, we had a boss that we all respected and would've died for!"_

Ayame shuddered, and pushed their voices away abrasively as if just the thought of what they were insinuating would eventually kill her.

_Kouga didn't admit that it was the truth! He didn't say that what Hakkaku was insinuating had any validity to it! Kouga wouldn't… He wouldn't… After the last time, he wouldn't hurt me in such a way again. He saw how crushed I was. He knows…he knows I love him. He…he knows, and he wouldn't_…

She didn't want to believe a word of it even though she'd heard it for herself. She didn't want to embrace the fact that maybe her mate was cheating on her, that maybe he was running after a human woman…the same human woman again. Then again, maybe his anger of late and his preoccupation was due to everything that she'd heard Hakkaku say.

_It can't be true, _she told herself, _It can't be true._

She subconsciously raised her hand and rubbed gently at her neck where his claws had dug into her skin earlier that day. Even with the fear that she felt at that moment, the knowledge that she was mere seconds from death at the hands of her beloved mate added to this new information; it still wasn't enough to make her believe the ugly truth that was standing before her.

_No, it can't be true, _she shouted in her mind as she pushed up off the car and took a small nervous step towards the steep set of stairs before her.

_If it is true that Kouga has…has been looking for her. If Hakkaku was telling the truth, then that means that Kouga hasn't done anything yet, right? It means that he hasn't betrayed me yet. _She smiled sullenly at that thought. _Why am I finding solace in the fact that he has yet to cheat on me? What's wrong with me? I shouldn't find comfort in such a thing!_

She shook her head and stepped back away from the stairs as she hissed, "Yet!" How pathetic was she really, that she'd smile at the fact that her mate hadn't cheated on her, yet? Seriously, how pathetic was she? Did yet, mean that she was expecting him to cheat? Did it mean that it was to be expected?

She shook her head.

That, and this whole situation should have been something that she didn't need to even think about! She was a mated woman! She was a damn good wife, she knew that! Anything he asked her to do, regardless of how immoral, she did without question! And still…and still he strayed from the confines of their monogamous relationship.

A frustrated growl slipped from her lips as angry tears came to her eyes.

After she'd eventually forgiven him for his first indiscretion, he'd promised her that it was over! He told her with tears trailing down his face that he'd simply made a mistake and nothing more! He'd told her on bended knees that he loved her and that without her, he would die! And she…she believed every word. She'd hung her heart on those words…his words and promised herself that she'd make this work because men made mistakes and even though he was a demon, he was still a man…her man…her mate…her beloved.

Wiping fitfully at the tears that continued to cascade down her cheeks, Ayame sniffled loudly and dug into her pocket for a Kleenex. Wiping at her eyes, she decided quickly, "I'll talk to her. I'll find out what she knows. I'll…I'll find out when the last time she and Kouga were together, and then…and then I'll…"

She took a step towards the stairs. _I'll make her tell me the truth, and then I'll threaten her! I'll make her leave Kouga alone! I'll make her leave my mate alone. _She reached down, feeling for the bulge in her purse. Reaching into the bag, she ran her clawed fingers over the cold hard steel as she closed her fingers around the hilt. _I'll make her this time. I'll make her leave him…us alone._

Stopping at the bottom of the steps, Ayame pulled her hand out of her purse and clutched the bag to her side as if she thought someone was going to take it from her. She stood there for a long breathless moment-a moment where one chooses life or death, freedom or jail-and she just stared up at the large red sign the read _Higurashi Shrine._

Her intention was not to come here and do anyone any harm, but…but she loved him regardless of his faults and she was more than willing to fight for him; he was her mate. He was her everything.

_To save what we have… To salvage what we have, I will do what I have-_

"Excuse me Miss, can I help you with something," a masculine voice asked from behind her.

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

Ayame jumped and spun around while leaping back a few feet.

Chuckling huskily, the young man reached out quickly to steady her then stepped back and readjusted his book bag on his shoulder. "Uhm, sorry I didn't mean to scare you."

Ayame stared him up and down taking him in slowly. His baby face told her he couldn't be any older than 16 or 17, but his eyes-she realized-held a sort of wisdom that she found rather unnerving. His dark gaze bore into her as if reading her inner most thoughts and she took another step back and looked away from him and back up towards the stairs.

"Ma'am, are you okay?" he asked again, his face holding such concern that for a moment she actually believed that he cared.

"I'm…I'm fine," she intoned softly, her eye's trained on the steps once more, her mind yards away already confronting the woman that would once again try to tear her marriage apart.

"Uh, well," he started as he followed her gaze up the stairs. "It's after hours, so the shrine isn't really attended now, but if you'd like to go in to pray and light some incense, I could get the key and let you in."

Ayame's head snapped towards him then, taking him in once again, but quickly this time. "You live here?"

"Yeah; I'm Souta," he declared with a slight bow before standing upright again. "My family has owned this shrine for generations now. So, if you need to get in, I can help you."

Ayame sneered angrily, "What makes you think that I need to pray?"

Souta didn't seem to notice her anger as he retorted calmly, "Well, you're standing on the sidewalk in the middle of the night crying, I just figured that whatever it was prayer would probably be something you needed."

_Her younger brother, _Ayame thought quickly, not totally understanding why it didn't click before.

Regardless of how much time passed since the incident, she would never forget her face; round, angelic, beautiful. No, stunning for a human. She was so striking with her dark eyes, high cheek bones, prominent jaw line, and thick raven black hair that shimmered in the dim light of the room. Standing there next to Kouga, they seemed made for one another.

She'd always thought that maybe it was that solitary thought that had driven her jealousy, her anger; her rage against a woman that she knew was probably just as betrayed as she herself was.

So, now as she stood here staring at what had to be a male younger version of Kagome, she realized that the similarities between the two of them were actually, uncanny. He was gorgeous in an angelic innocent sort of way. There was such a naiveté to his face, his demeanor that she found it…him disarming.

Ayame forced a small smile and stepped closer to the young man. "I must look like a crazy woman to you; standing out here in the middle of the night like this?"

"Not at all," Souta advised quickly. "You would be amazed at how many people I find standing here staring up at the shrine steps." He laughed softly, and finished, "I guess this is where broken hearts go once they've been broken for whatever the reason. I mean death, divorce, miscarriages, abortions; I've seen and heard it all."

She realized that the wisdom she'd seen in his young eyes had to come from his experiences here and she smiled softly, but genuinely this time.

"I lost a friend today, Souta," she stated making sure to pronounce his name correctly. "If I could light an incense for him, I would really feel a lot better."

He smiled at her and adjusted his backpack. "Of course, come with me," he said as he turned and started up the stairs.

Ayame watched the young man for a few seconds before she started slowly up the stairs behind him. A tear came to her eye again and she wiped it away quickly with the back of her hand.

When she'd gotten up this morning, she had no idea that within a few hours her heart would be so crushed, her world turned literally upside down, or that she'd be scaling the steps of the other woman's home with her younger brother guiding way.

She didn't know what she would do when she reached the top, or even if she should do anything. She didn't know what she'd say if she by chance ran into _her, _but what she did know is maybe if she paid her respects to Din and Ginta and apologized to the gods for any role her mate played in their deaths just maybe she'd be able to see things a little clearer.

"Wait here, I'll be right back," Souta told her, unknowingly cutting into her private thoughts.

Ayame stopped abruptly, and nodded. After watching him make quick work of crossing the threshold to the home that he probably shared with his mother and _her, _she turned and stared around the yard.

Her eyes made quick work of taking in a large tree that had to be more than 700 years old, and then a tiny house that sat at the opposite end of the yard that looked like it was some kind of enclosure for a well or tool storage.

She stared at that for a moment longer before pondering grimly, "If it's a well, could I jump in head first and break my neck?" She laughed dryly at that as she heard the screen door to the house open and close and a woman's voice call out, "Hurry up Souta, we've waited long enough for you."

Ayame stared passed the young man that was strolling casually towards her and towards the frosted glass portion of the door. _That voice… It was her. She's here!_

"This way," Souta directed.

Ayame pulled her eyes away from the house as she watched the façade of a woman with long black hair pass by the other side of the closed door.

"Is that your sister?"

Souta turned and stared at her, a perplexed look on his face. "Why do you ask?"

Ayame started towards him slowly, her hands clasped before her. "No reason. I guess I'm just looking for any way possible to keep my mind off of the bad things that are happening around me." That wasn't a total lie.

Souta looked at her for another long moment, before he retorted with a half smile, "I understand, and yeah, that's my big sis. She's in town visiting for a few weeks."

They scaled the steps slowly headed towards the inner sanctuary, Ayame following a few steps behind him.

"Really? She sounds nice."

"Most of the time she is," he answered jokingly.

"I've always wanted more siblings."

"You're the only child?" Souta questioned, not really caring but attempting to oblige the woman in her attempt to keep her private demons at bay.

"Yes," she replied, and then corrected, "Well, I have a really good friend that I call my sister, but it's not the same."

"Trust me, it's highly overrated," Souta stated offhandedly as they turned down a cement walkway and started the last leg of the trip to the sanctuary. "I'm sure a lot of perks come with being an only child."

She was quiet, the only sound coming from behind him, the soft clicks of her heels against the side-walk and Souta sighed lightly, his heart going out to the woman that clearly had more going on than she cared to admit.

"I don't mean to pry, but-" Souta realized that she'd never told him her name. "I'm sorry, but I don't know your name," he said, stopping a few feet away from the door.

She looked up, away from the stained spot on the ground she'd been staring at for the past few seconds while she debated on whether she should just stomp up to the door of the house and demand Kagome come out and talk to her.

She wanted to, she did and once she'd gathered the courage she would've done it had he not interrupted her, but now, now…

She stared up at him, tears swimming in her eyes, threatening to fall. Her lips trembled, opening and closing like a fish out of water as her nails twisted around each other nervously. She stepped back away from him as the first tear sneaked over the rim of her lower eye-lid and ran the length of her face.

Souta stared at the woman that couldn't be any taller than his girlfriend, Nola, and couldn't weigh any more than maybe 100 lbs soaking wet. Her eyes were so sad, her aura so despondent that he felt as if he just wanted to take her somewhere and hide her from everything that would ever hurt her.

He'd been taught all his life that women were to be protected and cherished. They weren't supposed to feel pain if at all possible and this woman…this woman even though she wore a very prominent wedding ring, did not have a man in her life that protected her.

His heart went out to her with such urgency that he stepped forward and grabbed her hand before she turned and bolted. He hadn't even realized what he was doing until afterwards. Letting her hand go, he stated quickly as if reading her mind, "Ma'am, please, I'll pray with you if you need me to, but you…you need to come in. Running from your problems won't solve anything."

She looked up at him, a half smile half grimace on her tear tracked face. Her eyes seemed to be searching his face for something. What, he didn't know.

"Ay…Aryanne," she lied as she stepped towards him while wiping at her face. "My name is Aryanne."

Turning to put the key in the lock, Souta acknowledge, "Pretty name." Stepping back away from the door after flicking on the lights, he held it open for her, and finished, "If you would like, I can call your husband to come pick you up when you're done. You really don't seem to be in any condition to drive."

Her shoulders stiffened briefly before she started towards the tables lined with candles and burnt incense. She stopped halfway down the aisle, her shoulders slumping forward lethargically as if the weight of the world was on them. Gripping the white, solid, floor to ceiling pillar nearest her, she whispered, "I…I don't think that would be a good idea. He's…he's still in love with _her_. He won't come _for me_."

The truth in those words as they fell from her lips, the underlying meaning that until now she'd been trying so hard to deny took a hold of her heart and twisted it viciously. Everything that she thought to be the truth, every dream she had for herself and for Kouga, every image… The idea of children, of a future with him; it all evaporated before her tear filled eyes.

Souta watched with a heavy heart as the distraught woman collapsed to her knees, her face in her hands as she openly sobbed. He debated quickly on whether he should go retrieve his sister or his mother, but decided against it as he stepped back into the sanctuary and closed the door behind him.

Standing beside the closed door, he bowed his head and said a quiet pray of peace for this woman, Aryanne, who had lost a friend today and whose husband had so savagely betrayed her trust, her heart, and her very soul he imagined.

**Until Next Time**…(Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated.)

* * *

**Next Chapter:** Ulterior Motives

* * *

_**Acknowledgements:**_ (All others have been sent PM's)

**HimuRa:** I honestly don't know how many chapters this is going be. It could go 50 more chapters or it could end in 20 more chapters. I plan to keep writing this story until I'm content that everything is resolved realistically. I have no intention of just leaving my long time readers hanging. If for them alone, they will get an ending. It may not be the ending they want, but they will get one. Not to mention, I also loathe when authors do that. Thanks for your review!!

**Jin:** Did you get enough Inu this go round? Thanks, friend, for your continued reviews!!

**ModernMonk: **Hopefully, you see what the point was to the argument now. And if you don't, then look at it this way. In my world, people can be friends and still disagree, fight, and curse at one another; it doesn't mean that they love each other any less. That said, in none of my fics will you find fairytale friendships where everyone says the right things, and goes or comes running when their needed. Life…Real life just doesn't work that way. I hope that little rant cleared up some of your confusion. Thanks for taking the time to tell me how you feel, my new friend.


	52. Ulterior Motives

**A/N:** As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness. I know the wait has been long, but I have been really distracted with school and trying to make sure that I graduate with honors, which should happen on the 18th of July at 11AM!! Once graduation is over, I am going to be throwing myself back into this fic, so that I can get it wrapped up. I don't have anything new -fanfiction wise- that I am going to be working on, so I'll probably just go back and finish Confrontations II since I know I left a lot of you hanging with that one. Once that is finished, I'm probably going to be calling it quits as there are only so many ways to torture these helpless characters before it becomes humdrum and cheesy. However, I will retain the right to resend my previous statement should I dream (literally) up another storyline that I find too intriguing to pass up. Then again, I might try my hand at some twilight or Bleach fanfiction-joking, not going to happen!! That said, thanks to the few that reviewed, and a bow of appreciation to my beta, Neko!!

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, Nola, Dinshu, Gage, Takira, Maki, Moki, and Dr. Aikio. All others belong to the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi. Meet Joe Black belongs to the directors and screen play writers that wrote it-lucky bastards!!

* * *

**Chapter 52**

**Ulterior Motives**

She was stretched out on the couch, her head laid back comfortably against the plush arm of the sofa, the remote control clasped tightly in her hand as she stared at the television, one of her all time favorite movies playing.

This movie was second only to _The Notebook_, but she loved it just as much as the first; it would definitely do for now.

Kagome had to admit that if for no other reason, she was happy that she'd learned to speak English fluently because watching this particular movie with subtitles or the hideous actor voice-overs would've taken away from the magic of it.

_Meet Joe Black, _she crooned silently as she rolled onto her side and pulled her knees up to her chest, so that she was halfway hugging them.

Luckily, she'd found the movie in time that she didn't miss her favorite part, when Susan, played by _Claire Forlani_ meets the love of her life, played by Brad Pitt in a coffee shop.

Kagome found it a little disturbing that a few months ago you wouldn't have been able to pay her to sit down and watch a romance flick or listen to a singer drone on about a lost love or being in love, but now she seemed to subconsciously gravitate towards all things romantic, and she thoroughly relished in the giddy feeling that it gave her.

"You know, you can rewind that back to the beginning," a soft voice stated over her head, cutting into her private thoughts.

Dragging her eyes away from the television, she pushed up so that she as leaning on one elbow and questioned as she turned to face her mother, "What? How?"

Her mom smiled patiently at her before leaning in and gently taking the remote from her hand. "Like this," she advised softly as she quickly hit a few buttons on the remote and waited momentarily for the screen to blink and flip back to the beginning credits. "You can even pause it, fast forward it, and record it," she went on, giving Kagome an example of each.

Kagome stared at her mom with narrowed eyes. "Don't tell me you went and got DVR?" she questioned incredulously.

Of course, she'd seen the technology before and she was well versed in using it since it had been around for years upon years, but what surprised her was that her mom would actually waste money on such a thing; it was just unheard of.

Her mom laughed softly; it was a soothing thing. "Well, not me, but Nola almost demanded it when she started spending the majority of her time here. So, with your brother being as in love as he is, he decided that he'd pay for it out of his allowance. I have to admit that it's quite convenient." She sighed thoughtfully and finished, dropping the remote lightly into Kagome's lap, "I hardly ever miss my shows anymore and I absolutely adore the fact that I can fast forward through the commercials now."

Glancing towards the television, the younger Higurashi was torn between wanting to actually talk with her mother since they really hadn't had a heart-to-heart since she came home and watching a movie that she'd seen a million times before. She quickly located the pause button on the remote key pad and pressed it without a second thought.

"You don't have to do that," the older Higurashi informed her mildly.

"No, it's fine," Kagome retorted quickly as she shifted into a seated position and patted the seat beside her. "We haven't really had anytime to ourselves to just talk."

"Talk?"

"Yeah, talk," Kagome confirmed with a wink as she stared up at the tight smile that her mother wore.

"Honey, that's really not necessary. I'm just happy to have you here."

Kagome blushed, feeling more than a little guilty. Since she'd been home, she could count on one hand how much quality time she'd spent with her mother, which really didn't amount to much.

If she wasn't out shopping with Eri, she was over at Ayumi's house, and if she wasn't there, all three of them were at Eri's tight little apartment. When she wasn't with either of them, she was out with Souta and Nola, or she was on the phone entertaining the surly hanyou that seemed to be getting more and more irritated with her with each passing day.

She figured that his unsanctioned agitation was the reason why she wasn't talking to him now. But she also knew that same irritation really wasn't directed at her, but at the separation anxiety that he was feeling.

It's not that she wasn't feeling the same thing, because she was, she just figured that because she was constantly surrounded by the people she loved, it didn't seem like that big of a deal.

When she'd gotten off the phone with him a few hours ago, he'd jokingly said that if she didn't come home soon she wouldn't be able to hold him liable for the things that he did or didn't do in her absence.

Of course, she knew that he was teasing, but the possibilities of just how true his statement was scared her half to death, which is how she ended up on the couch internally sulking.

She missed him dearly. So much so that at times it was like it was an ache that delved so deep, her bones felt as if they were fracturing from the inside out, but when she thought about leaving her family… When she thought about what drove her back to Kyoto, she'd shake that feeling off by telling herself that she'd stay a few more days for her sanity.

_He'll understand; I know he will._

Shaking off her thoughts, Kagome pulled up her legs and made some more room for her mother to sit next to her. "I can watch this movie anytime. Besides, it's not like I don't already know how it ends."

Taking the seat beside her daughter, Mrs. H sighed as she responded, "Or we can watch it together. After all, it's one of my favorites too."

Kagome grinned. "That'll work too." Shifting slightly, she leaned her head down on her mother's shoulder, her legs now bent back behind her, and the blanket she'd been laying beneath thrown over to two of them. "I love you, Mom."

"I know, and I love you," she replied softly.

Kagome pressed the button on the remote to restart the movie and the two women watched in silence, both their eyes trained on the actors on the screen. The softest of smiles slowly spread over the younger of the two women's lips as she silently whispered the characters lines before they said them.

Each moment that trickled by was pulling her closer and closer to the words that always warmed her heart when she heard them. And just like every time before, she smiled softly and wished that her father was still alive so that he could talk to her in such a manner.

"_Love is passion, obsession, someone you can't live without,"_ Bill told Allison, his youngest daughter, _"__If you don't start with that, what are you going to end up with? Fall head over heels. I say find someone you can love like crazy and who'll love you the same way back. And how do you find him? Forget your head and listen to your heart. I'm not hearing any heart. Run the risk, if you get hurt, you'll come back. Because, the truth is, there is no sense living your life without this. To make the journey and not fall deeply in love - well, you haven't lived a life at all. You have to try. Because if you haven't tried, you haven't lived."_

_If you haven't tried, you haven't lived. _Kagome sighed deeply and a soft whine slipped from her lips as she subconsciously snuggled deeper into her mother's side.

The woman in question raised her arm and placed it over her daughter's shoulder pulling her closer. "You loved Kouga like that, didn't you?"

Kagome pushed back and glanced up at her with bewildered eyes. "What?"

"Head over heels… Throwing caution to the wind… Letting the chips fall where they may… You loved him like that, and that's why your heart was so broken. That's why you moved away so quickly," she clarified.

These were all statements of facts, Kagome knew that. "Mom?"

She felt a gentle soft hand run soothingly up and down her arm a few seconds before her mom pulled her back into her side, never taking her eyes away from the movie that was playing. "You wanted to talk, so we're going to talk and watch the movie."

Kagome didn't respond, but she couldn't really make her mind go back to the movie either. She just sat there, allowing the things that William Parrish and her mom had said to find a home in her mind, but before she could come to a conclusion her mom chimed in again.

"You know that's okay, right? It's okay to love like that more than once. Just because it doesn't work out the first time, doesn't mean that it won't work out the second, or third time, or even the fourth time."

"Mom, why are you saying this? I'm…I'm happy with Inu-"

Mrs. H ignored her as she continued, "After your heart has been broken, it's kind of hard to just jump back in there, isn't it? It's like walking on broken glass, or across a sheet of thin ice. You're extra careful with everything you do and say. How much you let him know about you, how you smile at him, how much you trust him, and you second guess every word and every action. It almost becomes more like job or a chore, doesn't it?"

Kagome didn't really think that she was expecting an answer, so she didn't give her one. She just sat there staring at the television screen without seeing it as her mother went on.

"I want you to promise me something, Kagome."

The confused young woman pushed back away from her mother and stared at her, her eyes screaming her unspoken answer.

"I want you to promise me that regardless of how your current relationship turns out, you will love without restraints. You will know no bounds and you will not allow yourself to hold back anything. I want you to promise me that you will always love like it's your first time."

Kagome stared at her, her expression perplexed and a little more than taken aback.

_Did I say something to her that made her think that I wasn't happy with Inuyasha? Does she think that I'm settling? Am I acting like I'm not in a relationship? Did I do something that would cause her to want to have this conversation with me?_

Her mother must have noticed the blankness of her gaze because she smiled softly at her before she reached over and grabbed her hand. Squeezing it gently within her own, she intoned pleadingly, "Promise me, Kagome."

"I…I…promise?" she questioned more than confirmed. _But I'm happy now! I'm in love now, aren't I? Okay, so he doesn't know that, but that doesn't mean that I'm not, right? _

Patting her daughter's leg, Mrs. H pushed herself to her feet and finished dreamily, "Trust me; it'll be much more enjoyable that way."

Kagome stared after her mother, a befuddled expression on her face. _What just happened here? Is something wrong with her that she felt the need to… Is she sick?_

Hysteria gripped her as she jumped to her feet and charged towards and up the stairs. Instead of heading towards her room, she darted down the hall towards her brother's room. Foregoing knocking, she burst through the door, slamming it behind her. Placing her back firmly against it as if she thought someone was going to come charging in at any moment, she closed her eyes momentarily and willed herself to calm down.

Souta sprang from his seat at his desk, and Nola set up quickly, her Chemistry book slipping from her lap.

"What's going on? Is everything okay?" Souta questioned urgently while stepping towards his sister.

"I don't know," Kagome started, pushing away from the door. "Is Mom okay? If she was sick, you'd tell me right? You wouldn't keep something like this from me would you, Souta?"

Nola jumped to her feet. "Mom's sick?"

Kagome glanced at her, and then away again. She figured she'd never really get use to someone other than she and Souta calling their mom, _Mom_, but she wasn't about to argue about it now. "Souta, is she sick?"

Souta stared at her for a long moment before shaking his head quickly. "No, I mean not that I know of, why? Did she say something to you?"

"Well, she just had the weirdest conversation with me about loving like there's no tomorrow. It was like she was giving me her last piece of advice before she…" she trailed off slowly, and then finished, "Not only that, but since I've been home, she's seemed a little different. It's like she's keeping a secret or something."

"Almost like she's being sneaky, right?" Nola interjected quickly as she stepped closer to the two siblings, her emerald green eyes narrowed slightly.

Kagome looked at her, a frown on her face. _Does this girl ever go home, _she questioned to herself, but answered curtly, "Yeah, something like that, but more like she's resigned herself to some kind of news that she doesn't know how to tell us about."

"I told Souta that, but he said that I was being paranoid as usual."

"When was the first time that you noticed this?" Kagome questioned the cat demon.

"I don't know, maybe a month or so ago, after her doctor's appointment." Nola's eye's brightened as she continued, "I know it was then because I was suppose to come over that day to help her in the garden, but she called me at the last minute and told me that it wouldn't be necessary because something last minute came up."

"A month ago?" Kagome whispered in disbelief.

Souta stepped back away from the two women and sat back down in his seat, his head balanced on his balled up fist, and his face set in a deep scowl. "You… know," he started slowly, "Aunt Kara did die of-"

"Shut up!" Kagome shouted quickly, cutting him off. No, this was not happening! Her mom, their only surviving parent could not be sick! She could not be dying! They were just over thinking things! She was just over thinking things, she had to be!

"You started this," he hissed softly, and then continued, "And Uncle Jinko died of heart disease. Do you think it's something the runs in the family? Do you think it's hereditary?"

Kagome stepped over to her younger brother, her manicured nails raking slowly through her long black ponytail that hung over her shoulder. "I don't know, Souta, but that's usually how it works."

Nola inhaled deeply as she stepped quickly over to Souta's other side. Snaking her arm around his laden shoulders, she advised softly, her tone just above a whisper, "How do we find out? I mean can we call her doctor or something?"

Kagome gnawed at her lower lip as she started slowly pacing the floor between the door and her brother's full size bed. "No, we can't call her doctor; he wouldn't…or rather couldn't tell us anything either way; Patient-doctor privilege."

"Well, let's just ask her," Souta declared standing to his feet abruptly and starting towards the door.

Kagome stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "Do you really think she'll tell us? She'll probably giggle and kiss each of us on the cheek before she turns and walks away, leaving us just as confused as we are now."

"Let's ask Ji-chan?" Nola interjected.

Kagome glared at the demon. Not only had the girl taken her mother as her own, but she'd also taken her grandfather too! Still, she had no time to stew over this or correct her; she had other and bigger fish to fry.

"Ji-chan would probably be the last one she tells," Souta declared ruefully, his arm slipping comfortably around Nola's tiny waist. "He'd probably be walking around now acting as if he was in mourning or something." Souta shuddered as he finished, "If he knew anything, we would've known by now, trust me."

Watching Souta's subconscious actions with Nola caused a longing unlike anything Kagome had felt before to rip through her. Wrapping her arms around herself, she wished in that moment that she'd begged Inuyasha to come with her.

She knew that if he was here, she'd be wrapped protectively in his strong yet gentle arms while he subconsciously brushed away the negative thoughts of her mind. He'd show her without words that everything was going to be okay, but…he wasn't here. _Gods, I miss him, _she whined sadly as her arms tightened around herself.

Souta must have seen her, because a second later she found herself being pulled into her younger, but much taller brother's arms. She sighed heavily and hugged him back, her eyes closing as she inhaled his fragrant scent.

They would've continued in that manner hadn't a possessive hiss ensued from somewhere near the desk. Kagome opened her eyes and glared at the overly jealous feline. _Good gods girl, get a life!_

Not in the mood to argue with her, Kagome pushed away from Souta and started pacing the floor again.

"You've got to stop doing that," she heard Souta tell Nola, his tone terse.

"I'm sorry, it's involuntary. I just don't like when other women touch you like that."

"She's my sister, Nola," Souta hissed, and Kagome could tell that his teeth were clenched.

Not willing to let their little spat deter from the more important topic, Kagome bit out, picking up right where they'd left off, "You're right, Ji-chan would be the last person she told. She would make her final plans and then tell us all at the same time, but only after she was certain that there was nothing else to be done."

Kagome watched Nola tip up on her toes and kiss her brother's lips gently, an apologetic look in her vibrant green eyes, and she rolled her eyes, turning away from the two of them.

"We're going to have to watch her," Souta said after a quiet moment, surely savoring the vixen's quiet apology.

"I'm not going to be here for much longer. How do you plan I do that," Kagome growled, not really upset at him, but more at what they didn't know.

"I don't know _Miss. Too Busy_, but if Mom is sick, I suggest you figure it out," Souta snapped back, his arms tightening around Nola's waist.

"I have a job and a life, Souta. I can't just stay here!"

"And we only have one mom, you baka! Surely, she comes before any job or any life that either of us has," he sneered back at her.

Kagome stared at him while biting at her lower lip. He was right. Of course, he was right, he was always right it seemed of late.

It's not that she wouldn't or couldn't give up her life in Tokyo to come home and take care of her ailing mom; she would without question, but would Inuyasha understand? Would he wait for her? Would he come with her?

She didn't have any answers for these questions, but she knew that if she needed to come home for an extended amount of time, he would be the one bridge that she'd have the hardest time crossing. Not because he would tell her or forbid her to go, but because she didn't honestly think that she would be able to force herself to just leave him like that.

She pushed those thoughts from her mind and conceded in a defeated manner, "Of course, Souta. You know I'd do whatever I had to do for her."

Souta scowled at her for a moment longer before his handsome face finally started to soften. Shrugging, he exhaled in an exasperated huff and chuckled, "I know you would, Sis. I'm sorry I even went there."

"Wait," Nola stated quickly after noticing the siblings quiet acceptance of their mother's mortality. "We might be jumping the gun just a little, don't you guys think? What if there's nothing wrong with Mom? I mean sure she's been acting different, but I'm youkai and now that I think about it, I don't really smell any sickness in her."

Kagome glared at her. "You…can…smell sickness?"

"Well in a way, yeah," she confirmed. "All demons can. My sense of smell isn't nearly as strong as most demon's, but I can smell that; it's a light lemony pungent scent that tickles my nose," she went on conversationally.

"And you just stood there and let me a Souta think that _our_ mom was dying? You…you even joined in, you ninny!" Kagome hissed through clenched teeth as she took a step towards the young woman, her fists clenching and unclenching. "And for the record, she's not your mother!"

"Well I didn't think about it until just now, Kagome. I'm sorry," Nola stated apologetically, flinching away from the woman's tirade. "But I do see her as my mother, and when Souta and I get married, she will-"

Souta pushed Nola behind his back protectively, cutting off whatever else she was going to say. "Now wait a moment, Kagome. You're the one that came flying in here asking about Mom's health, Nola didn't start it. She only told us what she thinks that's all."

Kagome closed her eyes and tried to calm her racing heart. _So, she's not dying._ Her eyes snapped back open at the sound of the phone ringing, but she pushed it away and tried to focus on her thoughts, _She _might not_ be sick, but in order to make sure, I'm going to have to either get Inuyasha here to sniff her-oh that just sounds wrong-or I'm going to have to call her doctor and pretend to be her._ She sighed heavily as her thought finished, _Or I could just ask her._

"Oi, phone," Souta told her, cutting into her thoughts.

Glancing over at him, Kagome frowned and waived it away dismissively.

"It's Yuka. I told her you couldn't come to the phone, but she said it would only take a moment."

"Yuka?" Kagome questioned, knowing she'd heard him correct the first time.

She had to admit that she was a little shocked because she never would've thought that Yuka would be the first one to crack and call to apologize. _Maybe she's not calling to apologize. Maybe she's calling to curse me out some more or to talk bad about hanyous. _Shrugging her shoulders uncaringly, her thought finished, _Oh well, we might as well get this over with._

Taking the phone out of Souta's hand, she closed her eyes, inhaled and exhaled deeply a few times before placing the receiver to her ear. "Yuka?"

"Hey," she responded, her voice holding just enough insecurity that Kagome almost felt bad for her.

"Uh…hey, Yuka?"

"Are you busy?"

Kagome glanced at Souta and Nola, who were standing close behind her, both waiting patiently for her to finish so that they could wrap up their little conversation. "Well, a little. Why?"

"I'm sorry, I won't keep you long," Yuka intoned from the other end of the phone, her voice soft and unassuming. "I…I wanted to apologize for the other day."

"Yuka, you don't have-" Kagome tried to say, but she cut her off.

"No, I was wrong, so you're going to let me say this!" she demanded.

"Fine," Kagome murmured grudgingly.

"Good. Anyway, I said a lot of nasty things the other day. Things that I know were uncalled for, and I'm sorry. I don't know this new boyfriend of yours and I had no right to attack him the way I did. Besides, that's really none of my concern." She was quiet for a long moment before she continued, "You're my friend, Kagome, my very best friend, and as long as he makes you happy then I'm happy for you. There, I've said it."

_Wow, that really sounded more like a chore than an apology, didn't it? _

Kagome could hear the relief in the young woman's voice and she smiled brushing away her wayward thoughts. This was Yuka after all, she couldn't and didn't really expect much more than this.

"You were pretty mean to me, and the things you said about Inuyasha were just-"

"I know! I know I'm a bitch and I'll never truly deserve a friend like you, but we are still friends, aren't we? Please, tell me that we're still friend!" she begged.

Kagome closed her eyes, and sighed. "Of course we're still friends, Yuka. And yes, you are the biggest bitch I know." She let a second or two pass before she finished, "But I still love you."

The two of them shared a laugh, and then Yuka continued, "Well, I don't want to keep you any longer. I just wanted to make sure we cleared the air before you went back to Tokyo. Speaking of which, when are you going back?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe in a few days; I honestly haven't decided yet," Kagome answered as she glanced over her shoulder at her brother and Nola who were looking like the true definition of teenagers in love.

"Well, we haven't spent any time together, let's hang out this weekend."

"I don't know, I haven't really spent much time with my family since I've been here. I was kind of-"

"Come on, let me make it up to you," Yuka egged on, before continuing, "Let me take you to this new lounge that opened a few months ago. It's the coolest spot ever, with lots of influential people. You know the type."

"Yuka, I'm not really in the mood for the club scene," Kagome stated, not really wanting to go out at all. She just wanted to get to the bottom of her mother's weirdness. "Maybe you could just come over and we could hang out."

"It's not a club, it's a lounge and we won't stay out late, I promise," Yuka replied hopefully, ignoring Kagome's last statement altogether.

Kagome groaned, knowing it wouldn't be right to not go out with her friend before she left. "What night?" she queried in defeated manner. _I might as well get it over with._

"Awesome!" Yuka declared excitedly as if she'd just won some kind of prize. "Sunday night, I'll pick you up at 8, okay?"

Kagome glanced down at the calendar on the brother's desk. _Well, since today is only Thursday, I guess that does give me more than a few more days with my mom. _Twirling a finger through the coiled cord of the telephone, she stated, "That sounds great, Yuka, call me later this week to remind me okay?"

"Will do, _bestest_ friend in the whole wide world! See you then!" she gushed excitedly.

"Bye, Silly," Kagome replied with a grin as she turned and hung-up the phone with a shake of her head.

"About freaking time," Souta growled stepping up behind her. "Now if you have something important to say about what's up with Mom we can talk, otherwise Nola and I need to finish our homework."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Nope, nothing new, but we do need to keep an eye on her, okay?"

Souta pushed her towards the door. "Yeah, sure we'll keep an eye on her. Now get out."

Kagome laughed and stepped through the open door. Glancing back at Nola who was sitting with her hands placed innocently in her lap, and her cheeks stained a rosy red, Kagome's eyes bulged as she leaned back into the room and hissed tauntingly, "I'm so going to tell Mom, on the both you! I mean it Souta, I'm going to tell!"

"What are you, five?" Souta snapped, his cheeks pinking ever so slightly as he glanced back at a crimson faced Nola sitting guiltily on his bed. "Just go away," he growled turning back to his older sibling.

"Sure, sure, I'll go away, but the first thump or moan I hear I'm-"

Souta slammed the door in her face, and Kagome just stood there staring at it as if she couldn't believe that he'd just been so rude to her.

After blinking a few times, her dismay quickly turned into understanding, and then laughter and finally she turned, her laughter trailing out behind her as she started back the way she'd come.

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

Inuyasha pushed away from his desk and glanced over at the cell phone that he'd been trying to ignore for the past three hours. He growled angrily and stood to his feet stepping away from the device and the desk altogether.

_I'm not going to call her! Shit, how much talking can any couple do before it gets more than a little played out?_

At first talking to her on the phone was nice; it soothed him and gave him just a little more patience to wait for her return. Now all it seemed to be doing was tying his innards into knots, and twisting his heart as if trying to break it.

Of course, he still enjoyed hearing her voice, he longed for it. And yes the conversations they had were more than a little entertaining, but it was like dangling a piece of raw fresh meat in front of a wild tiger with no intention of ever giving it to the poor animal.

Damn it, it was cruel and unusual punishment, and she 'the girlfriend' was the most twisted ring master of them all.

_She-devil, _he hissed, no hint of a smile on his face.

He slouched down on the sofa in his office, his head falling back hard against the high back. He knew he could very easily just have gotten up and gone home, but what was the point, she wasn't there, and she hadn't been there for what seemed like ages.

He'd moved back to his place now, and at first he'd thought that maybe that was a good thing because being surrounded by her things and her scent just wasn't doing a damn thing for his sanity.

Not to mention, that blasted voice that he'd still yet to figure out was damn near whining for her. It wasn't words, no, but just an insistent fucking whimpering. At first, he'd thought that it was Ashton, who seemed to be doing the best out of the both them in her absence, but then he realized one night when he'd awakened coated in a thin sheen of moisture and reaching for her in the darkness that the noise was coming from him, but not with his lips or his voice box.

It was in his head and he could hear it just as clearly as he could see his hands in front of his face. That thing, the red eyed monster that was apparently inside of him-a figment of his imagination-missed the blasted woman too!

When he'd realized this, he'd almost gone back up to see Totosai, but quickly dismissed that thought all together. He'd even attempted broaching the topic with Sesshomaru, but decided against that too, because he'd probably try to check him into a mental institution or worse.

In the end, he'd reconciled himself to the fact that he really was probably just losing his fucking mind. So, did it really matter whether there was a valid explanation for it or not?

Nope, not to him.

He'd deal with it like he dealt with everything else, on his own.

When the nights grew too long and the liquor that he'd drank during the earlier hours had worn off, he actually-on a few occasions-called up the airlines and booked a round-trip flight to Kyoto. On one of these occasions he'd even packed a bag and started towards the door, but something always stopped him dead in his tracks.

It could've been that by going to her, when she clearly didn't have as desperate a need for him, tore at his pride and his ego. Or it could have been that just the idea of seeing her enjoying herself without him would've just hurt a little too much. He didn't truthfully know what it was, but he knew that he didn't like that feeling.

Inuyasha leaned forward, his elbows balanced on his knees as he stared over at the chow that was curled up on the make shift bed at the far end of his office. He'd taken up bringing the dog with him to work…

Actually, that's a lie.

He took the damn dog everywhere he went with the exception of restaurants, which he didn't venture to too often these days. It was almost like Ashton was his one last life line to her.

The pup belonged to her, so if he took care of him and kept him close then it was like keeping a piece of her with him all the time, right?

Ashton looked up at him as if hearing his name called, and Inuyasha raised one eyebrow back at the dog as if they were having a silent conversation.

Rolling his eyes, the hanyou stood to his feet and declared aloud, "I don't want to either, but it's time to go, Mutt."

Stepping back over to his desk, he made quick work of stuffing his cell phone into the front shirt pocket of his soft yellow button down. He then walked swiftly around his desk.

Pulling open the top draw, he grabbed the thick leather wrapped leash he'd recently bought since the dog had chewed through the cheaper one Kagome had purchased when she first got him, and then picked up his car keys.

Starting around the desk again, he slowed as he heard footsteps coming leisurely towards his office, but he paid it no mind because he knew by smell whom it was.

Aston jogged towards him as if knowing it was time go, and Inuyasha bent down ruffling the dog's thick mane as the door to the office pushed open, revealing the two most sadistic people he knew.

Okay, so maybe sadistic was a little too strong of a word to use for Rin, but after leaving him to babysit those damn twins on one too many an occasion, well, she was definitely running a tight race with her mate.

"Hi, Lover," Rin cooed, damn near skipping across the floor towards him.

Standing straight again, Inuyasha forced a tight smile and caught her as she flung her arms around his neck and tipped up on her toes to give him a peck on the cheek.

Yeah, if he wasn't sure he was losing it before, he knew he was losing it now. He could feel his insides trying desperately to pull away from Rin. It was like his body knew that she wasn't the one that he wanted to be touching right now.

He brushed that thought away and forced his smile to widen as he took a step back away from her and sat on the edge of his desk, her fingers interlaced weakly with his own. He noticed offhandedly that even this slight of a touch just didn't feel right anymore. When did he start feeling like this towards Rin? When had he started paying attention to the way she touched him?

"It's that time again," she stated happily, stepping up a little closer and spinning so that she was leaning back against him, her back to his chest, she standing between his parted legs.

A vicious growl echoed loudly in his head, and Inuyasha flinched and pushed to his feet stepping away from her. In order to try and down play it, he went back to Ashton and latched the leash onto his collar.

Glancing up at Sesshomaru, whom hadn't moved a step from the door, the hanyou realized that his brother probably noticed more than he wanted him to, and cringe when his question was answered.

"Inuyasha, are you feeling well?" Sesshomaru questioned while taking two long strides further into the office.

"Oh, he feels fine," Rin answered for Inuyasha quickly. "Or at least he will this weekend," she finished in a singsong voice.

Tearing his gaze away from his brother, the hanyou glanced over at Rin and took a short step back from her as if he needed just a little more distance between them. "What's going on this weekend?" he questioned unable to put even an ounce of interest into his tone.

Rin giggled girlishly, her eyes shining bright and the hanyou couldn't help but to snort at her playfully childish antics. She was a grown woman-a blind person could see that-with children and a mate, and it seemed that no matter how many years went by, she always seemed to be able to hold on to this innocent adoring nature of hers.

Looking away from her after a brief moment and back at Sesshomaru who was still staring at him as if trying to read his mind, Inuyasha shook his head quickly and turned his attention back to Rin. "So are you going to keep me in suspense, Wench, or are you going to let me in on the secret?"

Rin laughed again and skipped back to where her mate was standing. "Well, it's time for our family portrait to be painted again!"

Inuyasha groaned loudly, his shoulders slumping forward in defeat. _Just fucking shoot me already, would you? _He never, ever, ever liked doing this.

Not once in the time since his family had implemented this ridiculous tradition could he remember a time that he wasn't dragged along, kicking and screaming. He supposed that, that was why on the 10 or so portraits that they did have, his face was always set in a deep scowl, his eyebrows furrowed and his fangs showing.

He hated it! No, that was too nice of a word; he absolutely and without a shadow of a doubt resented, despised, and loathed the entire process! It was something that his mom and dad had started when he was five or so.

Every three to five years or when there was something special that happened that needed to be immortalized they'd get on one of their private jets, and fly to whatever godforsaken hole in the wall studio Matsumoto-the fucking faggot-was working in and stand for fucking hours while he supposedly painted them.

The entire time that he stood there with his family looking like an eccentric bunch of idiots, the bastard would make blatant passes at him as if there was ever a doubt in his mind as to which way he swung.

Mud-dipping just wasn't his thing, not even with women, and he'd be damned if he bent over and let anybody shove their dick in his ass! No, that bullshit just wasn't ever going to happen!

The last time that Masumoto had come onto him, he'd passed by the asshole on the way to the bathroom and the prick had actually had the temerity to reach out and pinch his ass. It had taken the gods in heaven, Sesshomaru and their father to keep him from ripping into that dick-loving prick's jugular.

After all that, the son of a bitch still had the audacity to wink and blow a kiss at him as they were leaving.

Inuyasha didn't have a problem with that sort of lifestyle at all as long as the perpetrator understood that _he_ was off limits, and that _he_ had no desire to hear anything about their sordid excursions.

"Not interested," the hanyou snapped curtly, gripping Ashton's leash tightly in his hand.

"Inuyasha, it won't be a family portrait without you," she retorted quickly.

He snorted. "It'll be better that way, trust me."

Her eyebrows furrowed together as she stared at him, but he didn't look away. He would not back down from this one, besides it seemed like whatever magic she had over him was gone now; she wouldn't be able to guilt him into it.

"We have to do this now, while Gage and Takira are still infants," she told him hopefully.

"You don't need me for this portrait, Rin. You've got your family."

"Some of them," she corrected softly, her eyes looking as if they were about to mist over, and he could've sworn that he saw his brother shake his head in an exasperated manner, but he couldn't be sure.

_Damn it, _he stated to himself, his eye's now trained on her face. _The evil that women do…_

She took three quick steps towards him, and the hanyou almost flinched back. He had to force his feet not to retreat from her. _What the hell is going on? _This was making no sense to him!

Since when was he afraid of Rin? He shook his head. No, he wasn't afraid of her…he just didn't want her to touch him.

He looked up at Sesshomaru, his eyes riddled with questions he was too afraid to put a voice to and Sesshomaru stepped up quickly snaking his arms around his mate's waist and pulling her back a few feet.

The anxiety left his body almost immediately and the hanyou sighed, a thankful whine hissing through his teeth without his permission.

Sesshomaru stared at him, his head twisting slightly from right to left and back again, but he said nothing.

Rin glanced up at Sesshomaru, a quizzical look on her face, but she remained where she was. "Lover, what's wrong with you? Are you upset at me? Did I do something wrong?"

"No…nothing…No," the hanyou stuttered unsurely, hating himself for making her feel as if she needed to ask him such idiotic questions. "I'm just tired I guess. I haven't been sleeping all that well."

"You miss Kagome?" Rin queried softly, her legs looking as if they wanted to carry her across the floor and towards him.

Noticing this, the hanyou gripped Ashton's leash harder and demanded his body not react. Rin was family, damn it! This was stupid! It was ignorant! She wasn't going to hurt him and she couldn't even if she tried! This was just utter nonsense!

He steeled his resolve as he turned his gaze away from Rin and towards his older brother whose expression was for once anything but impassive. He seemed even more confused by what was going on than the hanyou was.

"Nah, I don't miss-" His jaw locked on the words and he shook his head, _What the fuck? _He closed his eyes and tried again, still the words locked somewhere deep in his throat. Inuyasha swallowed and finished, "I'm fine. I'm just tired, Rin." He told himself that the minute they left him alone, he was going to call the guys with the padded cell and check himself in.

"I think you need to get away for a little while, Lover. It's not good for you to be just sitting around here waiting on her. It's been almost two weeks right or just over it?"

Inuyasha growled low and hissed angrily, "I'm not waiting on her!"

Rin's head snapped back as if he'd just slapped her and Inuyasha felt the guilt of having yelled at her assail every fiber of his being. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" he murmured. "I'm just tired."

Rin recovered quickly. "It's fine, but this just proves that you need to come on this family vacation, Inuyasha. The family portrait will just be a small part of it."

He growled, but he didn't dismiss what she'd said. Maybe she was right. Maybe he was losing his everlasting mind because he was sitting around here counting the fucking hours, and days until she decided to fucking come back. Maybe if he got away and found a little _distraction,_ he wouldn't feel as if he was coming undone at the seams. For god's sake, he was losing control of his own fucking body. This was unreal, it was ludicrous and damn near ridiculous.

_A little distraction, a quickie that's it; no names, no numbers just sex, _he told himself quietly, _A little distraction._

Inhaling deeply, the hanyou forced a smile and stated, "Alright, you win-like you always do. I'll be there."

"This is going to be so awesome!!" she squealed loudly and the hanyou flinched at the sound, his ears laying back flat against his head reflexively.

Rin jumped up and down, twisting out of Sesshomaru's grasp and charged towards the hanyou. He dropped Ashton's leash and tried to brace himself for the contact, but he wasn't fast enough.

She plowed against him, her body soft against his. He could feel the groves of her body, her soft ample breasts against his hard chest, her hips against his groin, and smell her once fragrant scent.

He wasn't turned on by her; it was worse than that! He could feel it in every fiber of his body, she repulsed him.

It was instantaneous; his world darkened and swirled in colors of reds and darker purples twisting into itself while igniting such a fierce pain that was buried so deep within him that the hanyou could feel his knees begin to buckle as his hands came up on impulse to the area where their chests touched.

_What…the…hell? _

He wanted to pry her off of him like she was the discarded underwear of a disease carrying prostitute, or the dead flesh that maggots ate. Her touch…she… It felt like she was killing him or damn near trying to.

Even though he could feel the agony that slowly swelled within every joint of his body, he couldn't say that he understood a fraction or an ounce of what was going or why it was happening. All he knew at this moment was that he wanted her off of him, he need desperately for her to back away quickly and he didn't want to hurt her in order to get it done.

Being careful of his claws, he kept his eyes closed as he stated softly and through gritted teeth, his voice coming out strained and husky as if it wasn't him speaking at all, "Please Rin, go back to Sesshomaru. Please."

She leaned back; he could feel her gaze on him. "Lover, since when-"

"Just…" it came out in an animalistic soft tone, "Go!"

"Rin!" Sesshomaru called urgently, and then he was there standing between the hanyou and the confused woman. "Go to my office, Rin," he ordered. "Now!"

"But… What? Why? What's wrong with him? Why?"

"Now," Sesshomaru snarled again, his eyes trained on his brother, his clawed hands balled into tight fists.

Inuyasha didn't know if she would leave, but slowly as she moved away he could feel the pain, the agony, the fire that had built inside of him decrease. Relief washed over him with the desperate need of a baby to their mother's tit.

He relaxed, opening his eyes to stare at his brother. Questions and apologies riddled his face.

Sesshomaru snarled at him, grabbing his shoulders roughly and turning him towards the glass windows. "How long Inuyasha? How long has this been going on?"

The hanyou was too weak and confused to fight against him, but as he stared at his reflection or rather as his reflection stared back at him, red eyes glowing like vibrant blood red moons, he closed his eyes and hung his head, his shoulders, his ego, his pride defeated.

"How long," Sesshomaru growled again, his fist clenched at his sides once more.

His answer came out sounding like a whisper, "I told you. I tried to tell you. I went to Totosai. I did what you told me to do, but it's still happening. It…" He turned to face his brother, blood red slowly fading to gold again, "It's not getting any better, Sesshomaru." He looked away, feeling weak for what he was about to say next, but knowing there was really know way around it, "I don't understand what happening to me. I…I feel like I'm being torn in two."

"You could've hurt Rin, Inuyasha! If I wasn't here-"

The hanyou's head snapped up, his anger quickly replacing his confusion. "All praise the King of Dogs," he snarled sarcastically.

He glared at Sesshomaru for a moment longer before trying to push past him, but the full demon wasn't moving. Inuyasha growled low, challenging him.

"Shut up," Sesshomaru hissed so softly through clenched teeth that the hanyou actually quieted and relaxed just a little. They stared back at each other unblinking as if reading the other's mind. Their stares were so intense that they appeared to be marble statues positioned perfectly, the shorter version defiant to the taller much stronger one.

Ashton whined and barked softly, and Inuyasha stepped back and shook his head. He glanced back at his brother and started around him. He was half expecting Sesshomaru to stop him again, but he didn't at first. He actually let him get half-way to the door before he spoke.

"Rin's touch affected you?"

Inuyasha didn't know if this was a statement of fact or a question, but he paused as he responded, "Affect, doesn't begin to describe it."

"What did it feel like?"

"I don't know. Off the top of my head I'd have to say that it just felt wrong." He turned to face his brother, caution thrown out to wind. "It felt like torture, Sesshomaru; death at its finest hour."

"When did you first notice…this difference?"

"Just now," he snorted, his face knotted and his eyes weary. "Big Brother, it doesn't make any sense." That was a term of endearment that Inuyasha knew he hadn't used in almost 15 years. It was reserved for times when he felt lost, helpless and lonely. It was only used when he needed to feel less like the protector and more like the protected.

Sesshomaru inhaled deeply and closed his eye calming himself. Strolling slowly towards Inuyasha, he placed a hand lightly on his shoulder and ordered, "Have a seat, I think it's time that we try to figure this out together."

"Big… Sesshomaru, do you know what's going on with me," he asked hopefully.

"I think I have an idea, but I don't know for certain, Inuyasha."

The hanyou glanced at him one last time, before turning and heading over to the couch. He didn't really care if he knew or not, maybe just having someone to really talk to about this would give him a better handle on what was happening inside him.

He didn't want to hurt Rin, not because of her innocent touching, and Kagome. Gods, if Kagome was here and she was touching him, how in the hell was he going to explain his reaction to her. She was 'the girlfriend' she was supposed to be able to do whatever the hell she wanted to him-in a touchy feely kind of way-and damn if he still didn't want her all over him, in him, on him. It didn't matter he just wanted her.

He closed his eyes, as he heard the door click shut, his brother coming back from telling Rin to go ahead of him once she was done in his office.

"I think you're going to need this family vacation more than ever when we're done talking, Inuyasha."

"That bad?" the hanyou questioned softly. All of a sudden he felt like he was 8 years old again and Sesshomaru was trying to get their dad not to ground him for breaking all of his mother's priceless ceramic eggs.

"Well, that all depends on how you look at it, but I think the time away from here will do you some good."

"When are we leaving?"

"We weren't going to leave until Saturday, but I think its best that we leave tomorrow instead."

He reached down rubbing Ashton's right ear. "And him? I can't really leave him alone; Kagome would kill me."

He missed the unprecedented smirk and look of approval his brother shot him as he responded, "Rin is taking care of that now."

Inuyasha sighed, his body so heavy and weighted down with all the things he didn't know and the emotions of missing 'the girlfriend' that he felt like at any moment he'd be flattened into a pancake or worse, the road scum that stuck to a person's tire tread and followed him home.

Biting down on his lower lip, he closed his eyes and allowed his head to lay back against the chair. He didn't know why, but after the words left his lips he felt a rush of relief, "There's a voice in my head, Sesshomaru, and it's not mine."

**Until Next Time**…(Your .02 cents are appreciated!!)

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_**Next Chapter**_: **Unprecedented Moments of Insanity**

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**Acknowledgments:** (All others have been sent PM's)

**Lilyx13**: Thanks for your review!!

**Chino-chan Inu Lover:** Thanks for your continued reviews, my friend, I'll try to get them back together for you. That is if Inu doesn't do something too stupid first.

**Jin**: Oh, loyal one, thank you for your continued reviews!!


	53. Unprecedented Moments of Insanity

**A/N**: As always, all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness!! I'm posting this chapter early for no other reason than I want to, and I like it!! Some of you may not like this chapter and because of that I'm more than a little prepared for the screams and the flames that will surely follow. That said, thanks for your wonderful reviews and continued support. A special thanks to my beta, Neko, for all of her hard work!!

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**Disclaimer**: I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, Nola, Dinshu, Gage, Maki, Moki, Takira, and Dr. Aikio.

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**Chapter 53:**

_**Unprecedented Moments of Insanity**_

The loud hum of the private jet's engines strummed in his head causing his ears to lie back flat on his head as if trying to bury themselves with in his thick silvery mane.

He leaned back in the leather seat, trying to force his mind to focus on anything but what he and Sesshomaru had discussed the day before. He'd replayed their conversation a million times in his head throughout the night and still, he found it damn near impossible to make sense of.

Was he supposed to just take his word for it and go with the flow? Was he supposed to accept it as if it were the gospel-for lack of a better description-and just…just well… Well, what? What the hell was he supposed to do now?

This wasn't right. It didn't make any sense! How was it that something as watered down as his blood could choose… Could decide for him, who he wanted to be with? How could he…it have a voice? No, none of this was making a lick of sense to him!

_**Flashback**_

"_Unlike myself and other full-blooded demons, who are aware of their inner selves from birth, I believe that your inner demon was only awakened when you found your mate."_

"_My what?" he scoffed belligerently._

"_Your mate, Inuyasha. Based on everything that you've told me thus far, I believe that to be the case."_

"_But that doesn't make any goddamn sense! I haven't found my mate! I haven't chosen anyone! I…I…"_

"_I think you're confused about something. You don't choose your mate, your blood does."_

"_What!?! Wha…what the hell are you talking about? Of course, I choose my mate! I choose who I fuck, don't I? I choose who I date, right? I choose whether I get into a relationship with someone or not! Me, not my freaking blood! That's ridiculous!"_

_His brother crossed the room, his patience clearly wearing thin, but the hanyou didn't care. He was not going to just listen to this half cocked crap of an explanation and accept it!_

"_Inuyasha, when you saw Totosai, what did he tell you?"_

"_What does that have to do with anything?"_

"_What did he say," Sesshomaru questioned again, his voice leaving no room for defiance._

"_I don't know," he intoned slowly, reaching up to scratch his head as if that would help him recall the conversation a little better. "He said something about watching for the signs and listening. I don't know, he was babbling; it didn't make any sense then and it still doesn't."_

_Sesshomaru paced the room in front of him slowly. "You said that the first time you heard it, it whispered the word, mine, right?"_

"_Yeah, but now that I think about it, I don't think that was the first time that I heard it. I think it started talking to me the night I got in that fight with Ginta, but I'm not sure. I was too pissed to actually pay attention to anything but my anger."_

"_And after that, you said it's been sporadic, right? But it generally says the same thing, right?"_

"_Mostly, yeah. Does that mean something?"_

"_I don't know, but it could mean that because your blood is watered down, your inner demon can't focus well enough to form an in depth conversation with you. It can only tell you part what it wants you to know."_

_Inuyasha frowned deeply. "Riiight. Suuuree. That makes a whole lot of sense," he retorted sarcastically._

"_You can lead a dog to water, but you can't make him drink," the full demon grumbled under his breath, and then went on, "So if you don't believe a word of what I'm telling you, what do you think is happening?"_

"_I think I'm just losing my fucking mind. Maybe I had a nervous breakdown after Kikyo left me and this is the after effects of not getting the right treatment for it. Maybe, maybe senility runs in my mother's family. Maybe…maybe…" he finished, but his thought continued_, Gods, I knew I should've continued seeing the quack doctor Rin had me going to,_"_

"_And maybe pigs really can fly," Sesshomaru cut in brusquely. "Don't be ridiculous, Half-breed, you've never been sick a day in your life. That aside, I do find this idea of mental illness rather intriguing."_

"_You would," the hanyou ground out with a roll of his golden orbs. Leaning forward he questioned eagerly, "So…you hear voices too?"_

"_Pfft, this Sesshomaru, never," he responded dismissively._

"_But you just said-"_

"_I know what I said and that is true, but if you're strong enough you can learn over time to silence it."_

"_Silence it?" the hanyou whispered totally intrigued. "How?"_

_His brother almost smiled at him, one side of his lips quirking slightly before it descended back into his copyrighted grimace. "You give it what it wants."_

Give it what it wants, _the hanyou thought idly. Deciding quickly that he'd just set that aside with the rest of the things he didn't understand. He queried quickly having thought back to a comment his brother made a few minutes earlier, "So, you're saying that my youkai blood is seriously repulsed by Rin? That's why it's uncomfortable when she's near me?" Just the thought was enough to cause him to shiver._

"_That is how I understand it. However, and this remains to be seen, but I wonder if it's all women and not just Rin."_

"_All women?" the hanyou questioned rhetorically staring off aimlessly into space. "No, no, no. That's just not going work."_

_His brother was obviously ignoring him as he continued, "It seems that this new knowledge or rather acceptance has it longing for its mate; it will not accept any substitutes."_

_**End Flashback**_

Inuyasha sat forward in the leather seat, his elbows balanced on his denim clad knees. _It won't accept any substitutes? This is fucking crazy! He's talking about this…this thing like it's a person, when it's not! It's just a figment of my damn imagination. That's all!_

Okay, so let's say he believed it. Did that mean that who _his blood_ chose would have to choose him? If that was the case then would that mean that he'd have to suffer through this agony on a daily basis? Not only that, but who the hell had it chosen?

_This is just not good, _he thought. _Kagome is going to have a fucking cow when I tell her that my mate is not chosen by me, but by my youkai blood, and she's probably not the one it chose. Yep, I'm, damned to the seven bowels of the holiest hells!_

The hanyou shook his thoughts off at the sound of voices drawing closer to the outside of the jet; his brother and Rin, he realized accompanied by Hoko.

Hoko was the first to climb the stairs and enter the plane, one baby bag hanging over each shoulder and two black leather satchels in each of his hands. Both bags were monogrammed with either TH or GH; the lettering extravagant and rich, be-lying wealth.

"Sorry we're late," Rin chirped, stepping over the threshold, Gage locked protectively in her arms. She smiled at him, turned in his direction, and he knew what she was coming for.

He could feel it churning slowly in his stomach, a slow burning fire that grew steadily stronger with each step she took closer. He knew there was no way out of this. He couldn't pretend as if he didn't know what she wanted. They greeted each other in the same manner every time they saw each other.

_I can do this. I can do this, _he hissed to no one in particular as he stood slowly to his feet, a tight grimace on his pale face. "Don't worry about it; I only got here a few minutes ago." He leaned in slowly as if he was an old man with arthritis, his joints burning hotter with each twitch of his muscles. _I can give my fucking sister-in-law a hug. I can do this!_

Her free arm slipped around his neck and she leaned in kissing him lightly on the cheek. A growl fueled with rage ripped through his tortured mind, his arms locking up as they loosely came up to encircle her waist. He patted her back lightly in a patronizing manner and hoped against hope that she wouldn't notice.

The hanyou tried to lean back, but she held on whispering something in his ear, but for the life of him, he couldn't hear it above the sickening growls and snarls going on in his head and crippling pain that was twisting vigorously through the marrow of his bones.

"Rin, perhaps you should lay Gage down before he awakens," he heard his brother say and Inuyasha knew that he'd be forever in his debt.

The ecstatic woman twisted quickly away from him and sauntered over to her mate at the back of the cabin. Inuyasha fell back in his seat lethargically, his breathing heavy, his head pulsing painfully in tune with the blood that was thrumming swiftly through his body.

_I can't do this! I can't deal with this shit! Damn it…damn it! _

He wanted to believe that he was strong enough to fight this and to make the supposed beast inside of him submit to his will, but shit, how the hell was he supposed to do that when he felt like he was dying from the inside out. "_You fucking bastard, this is my life, do you understand me! This is my decision! I choose who I'm with, not fucking you," _he snapped with a growl, talking to the invisible thing in his head.

He waited impatiently for a response, and was thankful when he didn't get one. "_I'll take your silence as your confirmation," _he hissed.

"That seemed rather painful," Sesshomaru observed mildly taking the seat beside him.

Inuyasha glanced at him, but didn't complain because he knew had he not taken the seat, his lovely sister-in-law would have danced her way back in his direction, oblivious to the agony she was causing him.

Inuyasha ignored the unattractive stewardess as she made quick work of securing the cabin and rechecking the locks on the doors. A few minutes later, the plane began to slowly taxi backwards on the runway and then straight forward, beginning to pick up speed until everything that flew past the windows on either side of the plane was nothing more than a blur.

The hanyou allowed his head to fall back against the headrest, his eyes closing as the jet began to swiftly climb into the sky leaving Tokyo far behind and below them. His ears popped and his jaws felt like they were locking up, but he didn't find this disturbing in the least.

As the jet started to level off, he finally opened his eyes, and glanced quickly around him at the other occupants. Rin was sitting in the back of the cabin with one of the twins on either side of her while she stared out the window at the thick, fluffy, white patches of clouds that zipped by. Hoko, was flipping through a book as if looking for the last section he'd read, and the stewardess appeared to be preparing to stand to her feet so that she could take their drink orders. He decided not to look at his brother, because what he was doing really didn't matter.

Turning his attention back to the window, Inuyasha sighed in resignation and said softly so that no one else would hear him, "Let's say I believe you, which I don't, how do I find her?"

"Find who?" his brother questioned without missing a beat.

"_Her_, the one _it_ wants," Inuyasha clarified softly while glancing quickly at the other occupants in order to make sure that none of them were listening.

Sesshomaru's head turned slightly, one eyebrow raised higher than the other, a dubious look on his face, but he didn't respond vocally.

"Damn it Sesshomaru, you told me it's chosen it's mate, but how the hell am I supposed to know who that is? I can't go around Kagome like this. I…I can't even imagine her understanding half of what you told me." The hanyou sat back in his seat. He gnawed on his lower lip nervously, his leg bouncing anxiously.

Leaning forward, he pulled out one of the magazines from the rack in front of him and started flipping through it quickly without actually seeing the pages. "What the hell am I supposed to do with Kagome? I can't leave her. I can't hurt her like that, Sesshomaru. She won't survive it. Shit, I might not survive it," he said quickly, closing the magazine and shoving it back in the rack.

His fingers twitched nervously in front of him, causing his claws to click noisily against one another. "I don't believe a word of this bullshit, but just in case it's true, I have to find her."

"And do what?" his brother questioned condescendingly. The tone fell on deaf ears.

Inuyasha glanced around them again, and leaned in towards Sesshomaru. "You said that in order to be mates, we'd both have to accept each other, right? We'd have to want to be one unit. Well if I make her despise me… If I make her hate the ground I walk on, then this whole mess will go away, right?"

Sesshomaru turned to him, an incredulous glint in his eyes, his face otherwise unchanged. "You can't really be this dumb, Inuyasha." It was a statement not a question.

The hanyou sat back away from his brother, his mind working a mile minute, trying desperately to figure a way out of this mess. He leaned forward, picked up another magazine and started flipping through that one too without seeing it. "What? You think it won't work? Well, it has to! It fucking has to, Sesshomaru, because I can't hurt her. I can't hurt Kagome, not like that fucker did. I won't do it."

"You're not joking, are you?" Sesshomaru questioned. When he didn't get an answer, he sighed dejectedly and sat back in his seat, his hands gripping the armrest of his chair until his knuckles turned white. If he hated anything, he absolutely loathed ignorance. "Clueless," he intoned curtly. He knew he could've just easily told Inuyasha the answer he so desperately needed to hear, but what would be the fun in that?

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_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

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Kagome glanced from Souta to her mom, who was moving quickly around the kitchen preparing lunch. They still weren't any closer to figuring out what was wrong with her, but for the most part, she did seem to be healthy and happy enough.

_Yeah, but that's how it works, right? The person looks and acts healthy, and then one day they just don't get out of bed. _Her gaze shot to her younger brother who was sitting across the table from her conspicuously watching his mother's every move.

When he wasn't in school or out in the shed with their grandfather, he was just as, if not more than watchful over Mrs. H than Kagome was. Every time she tried to pick up something heavy, or was reaching for something just out of her reach, he'd jump up and do it for her.

Of course, they knew that wouldn't help, but it made the both of them feel that much better about the circumstances.

"Mom, are you sure you don't want me to help you with lunch?" Kagome questioned, pushing slowly from her seat.

"No dear, I'm fine. Just enjoy your brother's company."

"But Mom, I can help."

"I know you can," she retorted while turning to face them, a gentle smile on her face. "But I don't want you to."

Kagome sat back down slowly, a frown on her face. _Okay, so that wasn't really that weird. Anytime, I ask if I can help her cook, she says no._

"Besides, shouldn't you be talking to that boyfriend of yours?"

Kagome shook her head, and then jerked up towards her mother. "Who? What?"

"Don't be silly, dear. You've been following behind me foot to foot today, and I don't remember you talking to him at all. Are the two of you fighting?" Mrs. H. questioned conversationally, her back now turned to her children.

"Ah, no, we're not fighting. I've just been busy I guess," Kagome replied with a shrug.

Her mother giggled lightly, and turned her attention to Souta. "And you, have you spoken to Nola today?"

"Mom, are you trying to get rid of us?" Souta questioned quizzically, not a trace of pretense in his tone.

"Don't be silly, Souta. I'm just not use to the two of you watching me every minute is all."

"We're not watching-" Kagome started to say.

"You noticed that," Souta confirmed, cutting his sister off.

Mrs. H took a moment to smile at each of them, before crossing her arms over her chest. "It's not nice to lie, Kagome. And Souta, yes, I noticed. So please stop it."

Kagome hung her head ashamed that she'd been caught in a blatant lie.

"Mom, are you okay?" Souta asked quickly standing to his feet. "I mean…I mean if you were sick or something, you would tell us wouldn't you?"

Kagome scowled at her younger brother and his inability to keep a secret, but she didn't say anything because maybe this was better than watching her every move.

"Sick?" her mother intoned as if that was an asinine question that didn't honestly deserve an answer.

"Yeah, you'd tell us wouldn't you?" Kagome finally added, standing up as well.

Mrs. H smiled and stepped towards her daughter and son, her arms snaking out encircling both of them and pulling them into a tight hug. She kissed Kagome on the cheek and Souta on the forehead, before stepping back and whispering as she patted both of them on the cheek, "Of course, I would. Now run along, I'm sure the both of you have significant others waiting to hear from you."

Kagome stared at her mother her face aghast. _She's sick, I knew it! She's sick! My mom's dying! Oh god!! I told them she would do that! I told them!!_

Souta wore a similar mask, but his eyes seemed to be watering up quickly.

Mrs. H laughed cheerily and waved her hand dismissively as she turned back to the food she was preparing. "I'm fine, you two. Go ahead call that boyfriend of yours Kagome, and Souta you call Nola and invite her over for lunch and tell her to bring her gloves, we have some gardening to do." Glancing over her shoulder, she winked and finished, "Stop worrying about nothing, I'm fine."

"Mom?" Kagome whined feeling like she was ten years old again.

"Go!" her mom demanded in soft but no nonsense voice and both children jumped and darted out of the kitchen.

Having no intention of actually using her cell phone, Kagome picked it up off the end table near the door and followed Souta out of the house. She knew where he was leading her without having to pay attention and she was fine with that, because the sooner they got to their talking spot away from the house, the sooner they would be able to figure out their next move.

Taking a seat on the ground next to her brother, she pulled her knees up to her chest and sighed heavily. "What now, Souta?"

He shifted, leaning back against the thick trunk of the tree, his hands behind his head as if he was relaxed and didn't have a care in the world. "Why are you asking me? You're the oldest."

Kagome frowned at him, but didn't argue because she was the oldest that was a fact. "Well, maybe she's not sick. Nola did say she didn't smell anything wrong with her scent, didn't she?"

"Yeah, she did but she also smells things that aren't really there too," Souta acknowledge. "This one time, she swore to me that she was smelling strawberry crepes."

"Maybe she was."

"I doubt it," he advised offhandedly. "She didn't have a clue as to what a strawberry crepe was until I explained it to her."

Kagome laughed and elbowed her younger brother. "You sure know how to pick them, don't you?"

He grinned and grabbed her hand as she tried to poke him with her pointer finger. "I could say the same thing about you, Sis."

Her face dropped momentarily as she stared down at him and then brightened just as quickly. "You could, but you won't because I can still kick your butt, Munchkin."

"Munchkin? I'm taller and stronger than you!" Souta declared, pushing up further on his elbows so that he was almost sitting up.

"Yeah, you might be, but I'm a girl; you'd never hit me back," she quipped, punching his arm to prove her point.

"Ow," he shouted feigning innocence while grasping his forearm. "Mom, Kagome's hitting me!" he whined.

"Kagome, stop beating up on your brother," they heard their mother call from the kitchen window and they both sighed, their upbeat moods darkening instantly as just the thought that one day, he'd shout that and there would be no response.

The two sat quietly for a long moment before Souta started quietly, turning the pending subject away from their possibly ailing mother, "Hey, did I tell you about the woman from the other night?"

"Who?"

"There was this lady standing out here a few nights ago. She was like just standing there on the sidewalk staring up at the shrine. I was just coming back from Nola's when I saw her."

"Yeah, so? People always stand there like that," Kagome told him.

"Yeah, I know, but this was different. She was more than distraught, Kagome. It was like she'd lost her best-friend, her husband, her child, and was condemned to die all in one day. It was…it was really sad."

"Oh, that was the night you missed dinner."

"Yeah, but I didn't mind, you know? She was just so lonely and so sad that I was happy to just be there for her."

Kagome sighed and leaned forward, remembering all too clearly how that feeling felt and not ever wanting to go back there. "Did she say what was wrong?"

"Not really, but she did mention something about losing a friend." He sighed, his eyes going bright and then dimming at the memory. "I asked her if I could call her husband for her when I notice this huge rock on her finger, and she said that he wouldn't come for her. She said…she said the he was in love with someone else."

Kagome snorted as she raised her head and stared up into the bows of the ancient tree. _It's never easy, is it? It doesn't matter who you are, heartbreak doesn't care. It's like a disease or something. It's like death, inevitable, knowing no color, creed, or age._

"I wonder how she's doing?" Souta questioned rhetorically, his tone telling her that his mind was miles away. "I wonder if she's still crying."

Not looking down at him, Kagome answered softly with a shrug of her shoulders, "Heartbreak is like that. It's not something that anyone gets over right away. When she's through crying, she'll go into a brief state of denial, and then she'll cry some more; eventually, she'll accept it for what it is. After that, she'll grow cold, hateful, and jaded." She was quiet for a moment, her face still staring into the limbs of the tree overhead. "She'll hate herself and she'll try to find a reason to hate everyone around her. That hatred will become her protection, eventually."

She hadn't even felt him move, but as his arms slipped around her, she glanced over at him and smiled softly. "You suck," she whispered leaning her head down on his well defined bare shoulder.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when you were going through that mess with that Jackass," Souta whispered sullenly. "If you want, I can still kick his ass."

Kagome laughed her voice heavy with unshed tears. Wiping at her eyes quickly, she told him, "You against Kouga? Nah, Mom would never forgive me for getting her baby boy killed."

"I could take him," Souta hissed, setting the bicep of his free arm in order to drive his point home. He seemed to rethink his last statement and then sighed heavily. "Okay, so maybe I can't take him, but for you, I'd damn sure try."

The pride that filled her at the moment was a fresh heavenly thing that forced her to wipe at her eyes again in order to hide the errant tears that trickled over the edges of her lids. "I know you would, but thankfully that won't be necessary; I'm fine now. Actually, I'm better than fine. I'm great!"

"Really? You're seriously happy with this Inuyasha fella?"

She leaned back and looked up at him. "Yeah, Inuyasha is wonderful. He's not perfect by any means, but I think…I think he's perfect for me."

Souta moved his arms from her shoulders and grinned at her. "So when do we get to meet him? Is he going to come visit you? I mean if it was Nola that had been gone away from me for this long, I probably would be losing my mind right now."

Kagome twisted around his question only paying attention to the end. "Are you really that in love with her that you can't go a few weeks without her? That's pathetic, Souta! She has you whipped!"

He shrugged his shoulders in an embarrassed manner, and answered timidly, "She's my mate, at least that's what she says." He frowned in thought as he finished, "The more time I spend with her, the more I'm starting to believe her. I've tried and I can't really imagine my life with her, you know?"

"Wow, aren't you two too young to be talking like that?"

"That's what I was thinking too, but I don't think that there is an age requirement for falling in love. I think that some people just find the right person right away, some people have to search a little bit harder, and then some never do." He frowned down at the dirt below him and picked at a piece of grass as he finished, "I don't know what's supposed to happen with Nola and I, but I don't really have any doubts where she's concerned. It just feels like something that's meant to be."

"Your feelings for her are that strong, eh?" Not waiting for an answer, she threw another question at him. "What changed?"

"I don't really know. I mean once I started to accept what she was saying, I noticed that I could kind of feel when she was near, you know? Like at school, I'd walk into the cafeteria or into the courtyard and just know where she was. Once, she was walking over here to surprise me-she didn't tell me or anything. Anyway, something told me to go to her house. I didn't know why, but I did and I caught her half-way here. Some guys were following her and harassing her and stuff. I said it was a coincidence, but she said it's some kind of mate sense."

"Mate sense? That sounds a little more than farfetched, doesn't it?"

He shrugged his shoulders again and continued, "I don't know how true that is, but at times it seems as if I can read her mind or better yet, like sometimes she knows what I'm going to do or say before I even do it."

"Really," Kagome whispered, intrigued now.

"Yeah, and I have noticed that she relaxes me, you know? It's kind of like taking a hot steaming bath or getting one of those deep tissue massages. When I'm mad or frustrated or anxious or just pissed off about something all she has to do is touch me and I can think clearly again. I can focus and rationally dissect the situation I'm facing." He chuckled huskily and leaned back on his elbows. "Sometimes, especially when I'm mad at her; all she has to do is touch me." He wanted to say more, but stopped himself knowing that that probably had less to do with her simple touch and more to do with the actual act that generally involved them making up.

Kagome stared at him for a moment, not really doubting what he was saying, but just finding it hard to believe that she was sitting here actually having this kind of conversation with her little brother. "When did you grow up?" she questioned.

He blushed and looked away from her, but didn't reply.

Kagome decided that was okay with her, because it didn't take away from this most precious moment that she'd always hold close to her heart.

"I love you, Souta," she cooed softly.

"Love you too, Sis."

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

He glared out the window of the penthouse suite, his anger boiling over; festering hot and thick only to subside and roil forward again like overcooked milk.

_Fucking bastards, _he hissed as his fists clenched and unclenched, begging for something, anything to tear into.

"_It's not my fault, you didn't ask," _she had said in that happy little sing-song tone of hers that he realized was really starting to irritate the living shit out of him.

"_He moved," _she continued with an off-handed shrug as if it was of no consequence.

A growl slipped from his lips, and he turned away from the window angry and frustrated. Upset at the knowledge…the fucking knowledge that he was this fucking close. This goddamn close and he couldn't…he fucking couldn't…

His fist hit the nearest wall punching straight through to the other side and he felt no better about his current situation.

He'd had a plan damn it! He had a fucking plan that was going to buy him more time, but now everything that he'd thought about, everything that he was going to do was fruitless because the chances of him lasting another night…

A growl ripped from his lips and he reached up grabbing the sides of the heavy red oak entertainment center and pulled it forward throwing it across to the other side of the room as if it was nothing more than a hard backed book.

_Bastards!_

_**

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**_

Simonkal of Inuy

* * *

Kagome stared down at her cell phone in disbelief; she'd tried calling him 3 different times during the day. Once after she and Souta had finished their bonding session; his phone was off that time. She tried him again an hour or so after lunch, and the call was forwarded to his voicemail. So, she left him a message and figured that he'd call her back when he got a chance.

It was almost 9 at night and still he hadn't even attempted to call her, not once. She tried a third time and her call went directly to his voicemail again. After that, her worry started to twist into anger.

She was having flashbacks of a time long gone. Calls being made to a number she once knew, repeated calls, no answers, and days later a barely plausible excuse.

_No, Inuyasha wouldn't do that to me. I know I've been distracted, but he wouldn't, right?_

She picked up her cell and dialed his home number. Still no answer, but his answering service clicked on so she decided that she'd leave a message just in case something was wrong with his cell phone.

"Hey Takahashi, it's me. I haven't talked to you all day, what's up with that?" She wanted to say something that wouldn't come off to him as if she was upset. "Anyway give me a call, okay?" She waited a moment in case he was coming in the house and needed a moment to pick up the line.

He didn't.

Flipping her phone closed, she quickly dialed her home number to check her messages and to see if he would answer-if he was there-but she knew deep down that he wasn't.

Her mind wouldn't focus on the messages, so she hung up quickly, her mind reeling with what ifs.

_What if he got in a car accident? What if he went to the bank today, and got caught up in the middle of a robbery? What if Ashton ran away from him, and while he was chasing him, he got hit by a car? What if he's laying somewhere in a cold hospital room all alone? _

She shook her head, refusing to let her imagination go any further. Before she could stop herself, she paged through her phone book and found a number she promised herself she would never call again.

It rang twice before a husky impassive voice answered, "Takahashi Sesshomaru."

"Takahashi-sama, hi, it's Higurashi Kagome."

He was quiet for a moment as if she'd caught him off guard. "Higurashi, to what do I owe this call?"

She was beyond nervous. This was stupid and it was childish. So what if Inuyasha hadn't called her all day. So what! He was a grown man. He didn't owe her anything, did he?

Kagome shook her head and steeled her resolve as she fought to hold back the bile that was starting to rise in her throat, and the angry tears that were beginning to creep up from the corners of her eyes.

Yes, yes he definitely did! She was his girlfriend! He definitely owed her a believable explanation, but was it right for her to involve his brother?

"Uhm, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called you," she stated quickly removing the phone from her ear and trying to hang it up, but she stopped when she heard Sesshomaru's voice break into her musings.

"What's wrong? Are you alright, Higurashi?"

She didn't miss the way he stressed her name, but she couldn't really focus on that right now. "No…nothing, I just was wondering… Uhm, have you heard from Inuyasha today? I mean, well, uhm… " And then she just blurted out the rest, her hands and voice shaking ridiculously, "We…we talk everyday at least 4 or 5 times a day, and today he didn't call me once. I even left him a few messages and he hasn't returned any of them. This isn't like him, Sesshomaru? Is he okay? Has he been hurt? When last did you speak with him? Have you seen him?"

"Calm down, Higurashi," he directed, his tone soft. "He's just a complete idiot, but I assure you, he's fine."

"You've talked to him? Where is he?" She heard the phone shift and go from muffle to clear a few times while voices whispered back and forth, and then her heart soared only to crash into the cliffs just below the edge that she was teetering on.

"Oi," he whispered softly, his tone reluctant.

"Inuyasha?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"Are you okay? I mean did something happen? Why haven't you called me all day? Why didn't you return any of my calls? Is Ashton okay?"

He sighed exasperatedly before he replied, "I'm fine. Nothing's wrong."

At that moment, as the last words fell from his lips a heavy black curtain dropped, locking away the sensible part of her mind. Her sanity folded into a little corner of a napkin and shoved itself away in the furthest corner of her mind and allowed her ire to take over.

"You're fine?" she asked carefully. "No broken bones? No bank robberies? No hospitals?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he answered as if he was answering the stupidest question he'd ever been asked in his life.

"You obnoxious son of a bitch! How dare you do that to me! I was calling you all goddamn day! Were you ignoring me? You were fucking ignoring me! Inuyasha, how could you? What the hell is wrong with you?"

He started to say something, but she wouldn't let him. "I was sitting here thinking that something had happened to you or that you were laying up in a hospital room somewhere half-way dead, and you're fine?" she questioned in disbelief. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water and he took that moment as his in.

"Wench, calm down it not what-"

She was screaming so loud at this point that, she wasn't at all surprised when her brother and mother stepped into the room with her, both their faces looking rather comical.

She ignored them, and hissed into her cell phone as she turned her back to them, "Don't wench me, damn it! Matter of fact, you don't have that right anymore! How could you do that me? How could you just ignore me? I would never do that to you, not for anyone! I can't believe you, Takahashi! You didn't want to talk to me! You… You…"

"Baby?"

She shook her head, angry tears now trailing down her face. She knew she was going way overboard, but all she could see was that she'd been here before and she had no desire to revisit it.

Not even for him.

"I'm not your baby, Takahashi, because if I were you would've called me! I wouldn't have had to call your damn brother to find you!"

"Kagome, please don't do this. I can explai-"

"Spare me your lies, Takahashi!" she ground out while wiping fitfully at a few errant tears that were trailing down her flushed cheeks.

"Don't do this, Kagome. Just…just let me-" he tried again, his tone soft and pleading.

"I didn't do anything," she hissed angrily. "You did!" She closed the flip of the phone hanging up on him and hurled it across the room so that it bounced off the wall and shattered into several pieces on the floor.

She turned away from the device curling herself into a tight ball and buried her face into the cushions of the sofa and cried. At that moment, she didn't care who was watching or how stupid she might have looked to them.

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

"Ka…Kagome," the hanyou whispered into the phone. "Wench?" Silence greeted him.

His hand fell away from the side of his head as he stared down at the screen that read disconnected call. No, this wasn't happening. This was not fucking happening right now.

He blinked away his dismay and dialed her number quickly. It went straight to her voice mail. He hung up and dialed again. Once again, it went straight to her voicemail.

The hanyou stared at the phone, his nerves coming unraveled slowly from the inside out. He ran his hand from the back of his head to his crown and back again as he stared into oblivion and tried desperately to hold onto what little sanity he had left.

"This is not fucking happening. This is not…fucking happening," he repeated like a mantra as his feet started moving him in a tight circle.

"Inuyasha?"

"Don't…fucking…speak…to…me," he hissed at Sesshomaru. His fist clenched around the plastic device in his hand. "Why the fuck couldn't you just tell her that you hadn't seen me? You know what the fuck is going on," he roared.

"This Sesshomaru, lie for you, over something like this? Never," he hissed, disdain lacing his tone.

Inuyasha growled. "She's fucking crying now, you know that, right? She thinks that I was out fucking around on her or that I don't want to be with her! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

"You're a complete moron," the full demon observed mildly.

There was a loud crack, the plastic device in the hanyou's hand fell to the floor in pieces at his feet, but he paid it no mind. "I'm a moron? No, you don't fucking seem to get it! I can't touch my own sister-in-law, your mate, without my fucking limbs feeling like their being pulled from my torso. What the hell do you think is going to happen when I see her, Sesshomaru? Do you seriously think that I'll be able to keep her from touching me? Do you think I'll fucking want too? What the hell do you think is going to happen, huh?" He didn't wait for an answer as he snapped, "I'm going to fucking die, that's what going to fucking happen." He growled low in annoyance and finished, "I'm going to let her fucking kill me, because I don't fucking know how not to want her."

"Complete and utter…jackass," Sesshomaru mumbled, his eyes trained on the broken cell phone that Rin had purchased for him as a birthday gift a little less than a month ago.

The hanyou slouched down on the couch, his shoulders heavy, his mind a muddled mess of incoherent thoughts. This just wasn't happening! It wasn't fucking happening! She couldn't be breaking up with him over this bullshit! He hadn't even told her about the idiot inside of him yet! This…their relationship just couldn't be over! Not like this!! Not…over some misunderstanding!!

"Inuyasha, maybe you're thinking about this in the wrong way," Sesshomaru stated.

The hanyou stood abruptly to his feet and stomped towards the door. "You can go fuc-" he started to say, but turned instead deciding against it and stomped out the door, slamming it behind him.

Before he could make sense of what he was doing, his feet broke into a sprint heading for the stairs. Instead of going down, he went up. He'd take to the roofs, clear his head and come up with some way of fixing this mess without Sesshomaru's help and without losing the one woman that seemed to fit just too perfectly in every facet of his life.

_This is my decision, damn it! It's my decision!_

_**

* * *

**_

Simonkal of Inuy

* * *

"Kagome, honey?" her mom cooed rubbing her back gently, but still she refused to budge from where her face was pressed firmly into the cushions of the chair.

How long had she been lying like this? An hour, two hours? She didn't really know and she couldn't actually say that she cared.

"Sis, come on get up. It's probably not half as bad as you're making it out to be. Maybe he was just having problems with his cell."

She spun on him, her face beet red and sweaty, and her fists gripping the cushions beneath her. "Don't you dare make excuses for him! He's an ass! A complete ass and I'm sorry I wasted my time on him!"

"Kagome?" her mom tried softly.

Kagome pushed away from her, not really upset at her, but more upset at herself for not controlling her emotions better than this. "No, Mom, it's not fine and it's not going to be fine."

"Honey, did you even let him explain?"

She rolled her eyes rudely and crossed her arms over her chest. "For what? So he could lie to me?"

"Sis, come on," Souta interjected. "You're acting like he's Kou-"

"Don't you dare!" she roared. "He's nothing like Kou-" she cut herself off hating her weak heart for wanting to defend him when he was clearly just like him.

_He didn't want to talk to me. He was avoiding me; I can't believe he was actually avoiding me! _She sniffled loudly and wiped at her runny nose with the back of her hand. _I'm so stupid! I can't believe that I talked so good about him to them, only to have him make me look like such a fool! I can't believe I… Yuka was right. Gods, Yuka was right!_

"Kagome, don't do anything hasty, dear," her mom advised. "Just sleep on it. Tomorrow it'll all work itself out."

She glared at her mother. "There's nothing to think about, Mom. It's over. Inuyasha and I are…are finished. I don't want to talk to him or see him." Saying that hurt her more than she'd ever willingly admit, but she refused to be anyone's patsy again. She just…refused. Her head dropped so that her chin was resting on her collar bone. "It's…over."

Her mom tried to wrap her arms around her to console her, but Kagome flinched away from her. "Please, just leave me alone for a minute. Just let me think," she said, knowing there was nothing she needed to think about. She just wanted to be left alone and out of sight of their sympathetic gazes.

She could feel the both of them staring at her, and willed herself not to jump up and run to her room. She was bigger than that. She was stronger; she had to be.

"Fine, but I still think that before you make this final, you should at least let him explain," Souta advised while standing to his feet. "After all, he is perfect for you, right?"

Kagome wanted to glare at him and curse him to the ninety-ninth bowel of hell, for using her earlier words on her, but she refrained and fought to hold in a loud moan instead.

Her mother patted her knee gingerly and leaned in to kiss her forehead without a word before standing to her feet and shuffling towards the stairs behind Souta. When she was sure that they were gone, she pulled her knees up to her chest, laid her head on them and sobbed like a brokenhearted widow.

This wasn't happening; it couldn't be. She was happy with him, she wanted to be with him, and she had thought that he wanted the same thing. So, how did they go wrong? Where did they go wrong, and why didn't she see it happening?

Was he that undisciplined that he'd lose interest that quickly? If that was the case then how could she ever trust him? How could she have ever expected something more to come out of this…this joke of a relationship?

Her heart throbbed within her brittle chest and she cursed it violently for its weakness, she hated it for making her believe that it was possible to love again. She despised it for fooling her into trusting him, for wanting him, for craving his touch.

Kagome's sobbing slowly started to quiet down, leaving her head aching painfully. She could feel that her eyes were swollen and probably bloodshot, but she didn't care. She didn't care about anything anymore, nothing.

Wiping at her eyes with the palms of her hands, she sighed lethargically and pushed slowly to her feet. Turning off the light on the end table, she started slowly towards the stairs and her bedroom, but stopped.

She glanced around the room slowly, eyeing the darkness behind her curiously as if she was missing something. _Did I just hear something? Did someone just call… _She shook that thought off and started toward the stairs again, but stopped again at the sound of a light tapping on the glass pane of the door.

She didn't have time for this! Not now! She didn't care who it was or what they wanted. It was late, the shrine was closed, and she was not about to open it for anyone, she was more than sure of that. Besides, she had her own problems to deal with and so whoever it was could just come back in the morning!

She stomped quickly towards the door again as the person on the other side knocked again this time more urgently than before. She reached for the dead bolt unlocking it quickly and reached for the knob turning it.

Pulling the door open, she started disgruntly, "Look the shrine is closed. You'll have-" Her words caught in her throat, her breath coming out in fragments of broken gasps as her eyes widened. Her hand gripped the door tightly in preparation to slam it closed again, but he was fast, much too fast.

He took a quick step forward gripped her wrist that was closest to him, and yanked her out the door and towards him. She pushed against his chest furiously, angry tears sprouting to her eyes. One of his arms encircled her waist holding her firmly to him, while the other one reached in and lightly closed the door as to not draw any attention to him.

_Was he kidnapping her? _she couldn't help but to think in a haze of short incoherent thoughts.

She pushed back away from him again roughly while kicking out with her feet that she realized were no longer touching the ground. A tiny voice told her to shout and scream for help, but she couldn't find her voice! This whole mess…this whole situation just wasn't making any sense. Her eyes had to be playing tricks on her!

Kagome opened her mouth to scream at him…to tell him to leave her alone, that she hated him, and to go away, but his crushingly hot lips against hers silenced her at once!

She vaguely noticed that her back was now pressed against the side of the house near the kitchen and that they…he was standing in her mother's garden, but she couldn't think about that, she couldn't waste time thinking about that. She needed to stop him and she needed to scream for help!

Her fists pounded against his chest telling him that this was not okay, but she felt like nothing more than a flea trying to swat an elephant.

His lips moved against hers timelessly forcing her lips to part. He nibbled lightly at her lower lip as a growl deep and throaty slipped from him. She didn't know what it was, but her mind, her body seemed to want to react to it…that growl. No, not react, submit.

_No,_ she hissed desperately within her mind as she pulled what little strength she had left to the forefront, which wasn't much.

"St…op," she whispered into his mouth, her tone holding not an ounce of resentment, rage, or hatred, but a whole lot of confusion. Did she really want him to stop? Was there any reason why he needed to?

"_Yes," _common sense whispered, but she didn't hear it and wouldn't ever hear it where he was concerned.

His tongue was warm against hers, forcing her to forget Tokyo, Kyoto, her pain from a few minutes ago, and everything else that at one point or another had mattered to her.

_No, _she hissed in her head, her body losing what little fight it had left. _No!_

Her mind told her not to fall for it again, to not let him do this! It screamed at her to stop him, because this wasn't making any sense and she deserved better, but her body betrayed her so severely that an unwarranted shiver ran up and down her spine.

The battle was over and she'd lost, again.

Her hands came up slowly locking into his thick main, the front of his shirt, and any other part of him that she could reach. Her legs wrapped themselves around his defined waist as her hips ground hungrily into him while her lips responded enthusiastically to his need with an insatiable desire of her own.

In that moment…in that solitary second in time everything else-with the exception of the two of them-melted away as if it never existed.

**Until Next Time….** (Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated!!)

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**Next Chapter**: _**Where We Left Off**_

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**Acknowledgments**: (All others have been sent PM's)

**Cnico-chan inu lover**: Thanks for your review, my new friend!!

**Jin**: Thanks for reviewing and I must say that I enjoyed that part as well.


	54. Where We Left Off

**A/N:** As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness!! **Lemon warning!!! In my opinion anyone under seventeen shouldn't read anything after the first section of this chapter. You have been warned!! **This is a long one, so go ahead and settle in. You guys-all of you-are officially and indisputably nuts!! I had no idea that the last chapter would get you all so wound up…lol. Seriously, I didn't!! Anyway, settle down, it's all good. That said, thanks for reviewing and enjoy!! And as always a special thanks to the beta of all betas, Neko!!

Why did it take me so long to update this chapter? Well, I got tired of reading it and re-reading it, and re-re-reading, and I went on vacation. I won't ask for any forgiveness or anything, because I thoroughly enjoyed myself, but I do want to say thanks for being patient to some of you (lol)!!!

**PS:** This chapter is too long to expect no errors, so expect some.

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**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, Nola, Dr. Aikio, Dinshu, Maki, Moki, Gage, and Takira. All others belong to Rumiko Takahashi and them!!

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**Chapter 54**

**Where We Left Off**

Heat, fire, unrelenting flames burned through his veins charring his insides, but this was okay. If he was going to die here, then so be it.

Heated hands on the sides of his face…

The feel of her warm skin beneath his clawed hands…

The smell of her, invading every inch of his body, his soul…

_Yeah, definitely worth it, _he thought happily as her grip tightened on him, pulling him closer as if such a thing was even possible.

He continued to devour her mouth, only allowing his lips to slip momentarily down the line of her neck to her shoulder blade and back up again. The taste of her on his tongue was sweet and sour; it was delicious.

His hand that wasn't cradling her butt, slipped down her side to the ends of her oversized shirt, and then beneath it.

His nimble palm found its way over her soft skin, his claws creating slow circles as it made its way to her succulent breast. He ran the pad of his thumb over her protruding nipple, and then pinched it tenderly as he pulled at it, causing her to shiver and arch towards him, her head falling back submitting to him…to his will.

A growl of approval rumbled up through his throat as his head dipped low, his fangs raking across the soft skin of her neck, while his tongue slowly…methodically tasted every inch.

He wanted her, he needed her, desired her so badly that it hurt just about as bad as it did when Rin had touched him, and for the briefest of moments, he allowed his mind to wonder in that direction.

_The pain that I feel, it's not because she repulses me, it's because I need…I have to have her. Does that mean… Could that mean…?_

She rocked against him, her hips undulating slowly in a circular motion into his, and his thoughts ended instantaneously.

He stepped forward, flattening whatever he was standing on so that her legs that were wrapped around his waist were balanced on them, her back flush against the wall in front him. His hand slipped from her butt, down the outside of her thigh and dipped up into the front of the short-shorts she was wearing.

His fingers found her nest quickly. The heat of it burned his digits, leaving them slick as they danced expertly across her slit.

"Kagome," he hissed softly in her ear, his head resting gingerly against the side of hers, as she continued to nibble at the side of his neck, her hand running smoothly over the skin of his muscled back. "I need you…now," he finished breathlessly, a solitary finger delving deep into her cave.

She rocked against it, as she responded incoherently, "Nee…now."

One finger exited, two entered her again and the wetness called his name, whispered promises that he knew would not be broken, and begged him to take her with as much fervor and passion as he could muster.

This was good and right, and she was his; it didn't matter what any damnable voice said. She…Kagome was his. He knew that with every fiber of his being; she was his.

"Now, Inuyasha, now," she begged softly, her head leaning away from him as her eyes closed and she rocked down on his fingers. "Now, please."

He growled again, as he leaned back away from her, his fingers that weren't buried deep inside her going to his belt buckle and loosening it quickly. His zipper came down and her hand pushed his out of the way as if he was moving a little too slow. She grabbed his member gently yet possessively as if she owned it-if only she knew that she did.

His lips descended on hers again in a kiss that was filled with so much lust, desire, want and fire that he thought if he ever experienced anything like this again, it would be a sign that he was surely dying.

Her hand locked around his shaft, rolled up the length of him, and the pad of her thumb run over the slick sticky substance that was already leaking out of him and he shuddered.

"I want to taste it," she whispered softly, earnestly. "I want to taste you, Inuyasha."

His knees turned to instant jello and he almost dropped them both to the ground, but he was somehow able to hold on just a little longer. "Your room, where?" he questioned quietly while pulling slightly away so that he was gazing down into her beautiful exotic eyes that he'd missed entirely too much.

"Upstairs… Pink curtains, but we can't go in through…" she started breathlessly only to cut herself off as she closed in on his swollen lips again.

The hanyou lost his train of thought and greedily took what she offered. His mind was stuck so far away in a world that consisted totally of her and him and nothing else that by the time he'd heard the voice, they'd already been caught.

"Kagome, what are y…ou?" a gentle voice questioned from a few feet away.

Inuyasha didn't need to look to see it was her mother, because Kagome went rigid in his embrace; her inner walls clenching around his fingers as if they were trying to pull the skin off. He buried his face in the side of neck away from her mother and cursed his impatience as he heard Kagome stutter quietly, "Oh, Mom, hi. Meet Inuyasha."

The hanyou groaned and squeezed her ass tightly with the hand he was previously using to pull off her shorts. He leaned back slowly, his face beet red. He tried to keep the chagrin off his face as he turned to look at the woman. "Uh, hi," he offered with a slight nod of his head, "I would shake your hand but…"

Kagome slapped him roughly on the back, her cheeks darkening even more. He turned his attention back to her mom just in time to see the woman's entire face go from red to blood red with just a hint of scarlet before she turned her head away and damn near ordered, "Kagome come inside, and bring him with you!"

Watching the woman stalk quickly away, Inuyasha chuckled softly, and told Kagome, "You're in so much trouble. How dare you be out here in the middle of the night letting some dirty hanyou sully you?"

"Inuyasha, this isn't funny! My mom almost caught us ab-" She stopped and looked at him finally understanding the rest of his statement. "There's nothing dirty about you," she declared sternly, "And I'm grown. If I want to be humped on the side of my mother's house, then it's my decision!"

He tried to keep a straight face, he really did, but the longer he tried the harder it became. Eventually, he found himself just outright laughing at her indignant comment.

"It's not funny," she hissed while trying to push away from him.

He was still laughing so hard that she found herself still pressed firmly between him and the side of the house. His head was lying on her shoulder as his shoulders rose spasmodically up and down, his chuckles dying down only to escalate again and again.

She slapped at his back and his shoulder angrily, unable to find any humor in their current state of affairs. "Put me down, idiot! Put me down now!" she bit out pushing against him.

The hanyou had heard her, but he needed to get this out before he even attempted to face her mother and the disapproving glares she was sure to throw their way. He wiggled his fingers and she stilled momentarily as if she'd forgotten that his fingers were still buried to the hilt inside of her.

A moan slipped from her and she rocked partially against them, before she realized what she was doing and pushed against him again. "Gods, sometime I just hate you!" she huffed, not sounding half as angry as she should have.

Inuyasha pushed back, his fingers slipping out of her, but he didn't step away from her; she was still pinned against the wall. He frowned in thought as he stared at her without so much as saying a word.

The hanyou figured she must have understood his unspoken question, because a second later, her hands were on his cheeks caressing them, her thumbs running lightly across his lips. She then leaned in kissing him softly once, twice, three times. Each one was longer and more indulgent than the last until they were locked in another passionate embrace.

The seconds dripped by slowly before Kagome pulled back, seeming to have just realized something. "Inuyasha, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be in Tokyo with Sesshomaru. I just talked to you; you were with him."

He grinned sheepishly, as he reluctantly stepped back and set her down on the ground in front of him. "Would you believe me if I said family portraits?" he queried as he zipped up his jeans and refastened his belt.

She glared up at him while adjusting her attire. "Explain, because I didn't know anything about you coming to Kyoto. Were you trying to sneak up on me to see if I was cheating on you or something?"

Noticing that she was done straightening out her clothing, he glanced down and realized for the first time that they were standing in the middle of a garden. Taking one giant step out of it, he reached back and picked her up, setting her down in front of him again. "Well, you see it's a long story. But the gist of it is no, I didn't come here to spy on you. Hell, I didn't know we were coming to Kyoto until the plane was making its final decent. I thought we were going to Okinawa. Rin and Sesshomaru knew, but they figured if they told me ahead of time, I wouldn't have come."

"Why not? And why didn't you tell me that you were going out of town?" she questioned, but before he could answer she added, "I tell you everywhere I'm going and you couldn't even tell me you were going out of town to take family portraits? There sure seems to be a lot of double standards going on here." She said the last part like she didn't believe him as she started to turn and walk away.

He grabbed her arm quickly and pulled her back to him so that they were standing breasts to chest. "Look, I'm not lying to you. Over the past couple of days some things have been going on that I can't explain right now, but I will explain it to you eventually, okay? I promise, I will, but I have to make sure that I understand it first. Second-"

She cut him off, "Was there a first?"

He rolled his eyes and kissed his teeth in an exasperated manner and continued, refusing to let her deter him from his explanation, "Second, I didn't know about the trip until late yesterday and we left this morning first thing. I'm really sorry I didn't call you, but my cell phone was off during the flight, and the one time that I did see that you called, my arms were filled with Rin and the pup's luggage."

She looked at him skeptically, and he sighed dejectedly, his shoulders slouching forward. "I swear, _Jaded One_, I wasn't doing anything wrong."

"It's not nice to swear," she mumbled pushing him in the center of his chest. "And I'm not the only _jaded one _here."

One eyebrow rose higher than the other as he questioned, "Did you just push me?"

"I'm furious with you, don't think I'm not! You should just be glad I haven't done more than that," she snapped, her arms coming up to cross beneath her full breasts.

The hanyou looked like he'd just been kicked in the face. This wasn't making any sense. She was mad at him and she just let him almost screw her? Wait, did this mean that there was a possibility that he wasn't going to get any?

"But you…You… We almost… We were about to… You can't change your mind now!"

"That's sex, but it doesn't mean I'm not still mad at you, Takahashi" she clarified, her hands dropping to her sides. "You had me thinking that you didn't want… Like you didn't…" She huffed and snapped, "You don't want to know what I was thinking!"

He knew exactly what she'd been thinking, but that didn't mean that he was going to bringing it up. "Your imagination was getting the best of you, was it?"

She rolled her eyes, but didn't respond.

He could live with that, he really could and he would. The hanyou stepped towards her quickly and wrapped his arms tightly around her. "Are you still 'the girlfriend,' or do I need to call up that girl from the café down the street from your house?"

Kagome grabbed the nearest piece of his flesh she could reach between her right forefinger and thumb, pinching and twisting it mightily.

"Ow," the hanyou growled releasing her, but she didn't let go of the flesh, she held onto it as she stepped closer to him.

"You're mine, do you understand me? You and your thingy belong to me, okay? Higurashi Kagome, say it!" she demanded twisting the patch of skin roughly.

He glared at her, but he didn't fight out of her hold even though he knew he could. There was something primal in her actions and the way she was making sure that he knew where home was.

"You're nuts," he hissed, his knees bending purposefully to give her a better grip on his side. _I'm definitely a glutton for punishment._

She leaned into him so that her face was a breath away. "We all know that, and if I remember correctly that's what you love about me, isn't it? Now say it, my mom is waiting!"

…_that's what you love about me,_ he couldn't help repeating silently. It warmed him and made his heart just a little lighter. Did he love her? Is that what it was? Is that why he'd come here tonight knowing-at the time-that it would be the death of him? Is that what all this mess meant?

"Fine," he hissed.

"Not good enough!"

"Okay, okay," he growled urgently, "Me and my _thingy _are the property of Higurashi Kagome. Now, stop pinching me, damn it!"

"Kagome, Inuyasha get in here," he heard her mom shout, and the wicked witch finally let go of his tenderized flesh.

He scowled at her hoping, she couldn't see the big grin he was trying to hide as he rubbed at the area gently. He stood stock still for a moment just watching her hips sway to the right and then to the left and he almost forgot everything that had happened in the last 48 hours.

_What does this mean? She can touch me and it doesn't hurt. She can drive me to my fucking knees and pick me up again without so much as touching me. Without her…without her I felt like I was seriously on the verge of losing it, but now it's like it didn't even happen. It's like she just made it all go away._

When he'd left the hotel earlier that night, his intention was not to come here, he was just going to run through the city take in couple of sights and go back to the room. At least that's what he told himself he was going to do.

But as soon as the night air hit him, he was damn near flying; every thought in his head was of her. The sound of her voice so broken on the phone, the knowledge that she actually thought that he was capable of cheating on her, and the fear that this thing inside of him was going keep them apart.

That last thought was what he supposed did it. It had him running at top speed in the direction of town that he knew she was staying in. He didn't know exactly where the shrine was located, but he knew the address and he knew her scent like he knew his own. He knew he'd find her.

His purpose was not to grope her, but to just prove to this beast inside of him the he was in charge. He supposed that he'd proved that with the first touch to her wrist when he pulled her out the door.

He was scared out of his find mind that he was going to feel some kind of pain or something untoward, but all he felt was need, desire, lust to just be near her…in here…with her. Yes, there was burning and fire and everything else that went along with passion, but that pain that he'd felt with Rin was nowhere in sight.

He knew that once that fact had been proven, he could've stopped, but he'd also overheard a few of the things that she said to her mother and brother about not wanting to be with him anymore, and that knowledge almost blinded him and sent him crashing to his knees.

So no, once he had his hands on her, he was not going to let her go until he was sure that she'd never be too far away…too unreachable again. He wasn't going to let her go until he was sure that she was still 'the girlfriend'…she was still his girlfriend.

_Is she the one? Is she the one _it _chose? Is she my…_

"Takahashi, come-"she started to say, breaking into his musings. She glanced down at the area he was rubbing, an apologetic look on her face and he decided quickly that he'd ride this cart till the wheels fell off.

"Ow," he murmured, his head dropping forward slightly, his eyes sad.

She sighed and turned to face him. "You're such a baby," she quipped teasingly while holding out her hand to him. "I guy can tear your chest open with knife and you barely flinch, but you can't take a pinch?"

He didn't move and didn't respond, but his head did drop just a little lower.

She sighed again, heavier this time. "Come on, I'll kiss it for you later, I promise," she told him in a patronizing tone, but he didn't care because a promise was a promise.

Her fingers moved hypnotizing, calling him to her and he couldn't help but to think that he was being called to his death. Even knowing that, he moved smoothly towards her, interlacing his fingers with her own as soon as he was close enough. She pulled him forward and towards the front door and he followed helplessly.

"Remember, you promised to kiss it," he whispered cheekily as she stepped over the threshold in front of him.

"And if my mom doesn't kill us both, I'll keep my promise," she whispered still holding tightly to his clawed hand.

He felt her shaking nervously and for the first time he realized that through all of her bravado she was seriously scared or at the very least nervous. His mood changed quickly, taking on a stern no nonsense façade. He'd be damned if he let anyone, even her mother, talk down to her or make her feel bad for doing what they were about to do.

_Everyone hates me eventually, right? What's one more person, _he told himself, closing the distance between them as they came to a stop in the doorway to what had to be the living room.

It was a small room for a living room; about the size of his bedroom, he would've guessed, decorated very quaintly. There was a dark green couch against one wall, which is where her mother sat staring at the two of them, and two plush chairs sitting across from the sofa with a table between them. A younger guy about the age of 17, he deduced, was sitting in one of those, his arms crossed over his t-shirt clad chest and a smirk on his face.

_Souta, her brother_, he presumed quickly, his eyes locked on the young man's face.

_Is that little shit smirking? He is fucking smirking! He told!_

"Have a seat," the older woman ordered quietly, her eyes trained on Kagome.

Inuyasha moved towards the chair pulling Kagome behind him, but she moved towards the couch that her mother was sitting on, pulling him in that direction. They both stopped and looked back at each other, neither saying a thing and neither letting the other's hand go.

Souta cleared his throat noisily, but Inuyasha knew that it was to cover up a laugh.

He forced himself not to snarl at the boy, because he'd protected Kagome when he couldn't. Even still, the boy was starting the get on his very last, already irked, nerve.

Inuyasha tugged lightly, pulling Kagome to him and spun, sitting in the chair across from her mom, and a foot or so down from the little shit.

Kagome looked up at him and blushed.

He knew she wanted out of his lap because her mother was here and for half of a second he thought about ignoring her. Deciding quickly that this was indeed her family and perhaps he should respect them or at the very least pretend to until they did or said something to Kagome that pissed him off, he reluctantly released her. She slid to the arm of the chair that he was sitting in, her hand still interlaced with his.

Four pairs of eyes stared at one another quietly, no one saying anything.

Inuyasha could only imagine what was going through her mother's head. She was probably thinking about how disrespectful it was for him to just show up at her house in the middle of the night to fondle her daughter. Or that he must have some big balls-no pun intended-to make her daughter cry one minute and suck face with her the next, or she could've been thinking that Kagome had lost her mind to even consider being with a hanyou.

_Yeah, any of those will work_, he decided.

"What do you have to say for yourself, young lady?" her mom finally asked breaking the silence.

"Mom," 'the girlfriend' started, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"Get her, mom," Souta cheered from the sideline.

Inuyasha's head turned slowly towards the teenager. _He's definitely on my shit list._

"Shut up, Souta," Kagome growled quickly, and then turned her attention back to her mom. "I'm sorry, that's all I can really say. I didn't know you were going to come outside. I mean, I didn't even know that Inuyasha was in town," she continued. "When I saw him, I guess I…we were just a little too excited to see each other. I'm sorry. I know you're disappointed in me."

Inuyasha squeezed her hand, and then released it so that he could rub her back in order to let her know that he was there and would take over when she needed him to.

"I see," her mom snapped, sounding even more perturbed. "And you, Inuyasha, what do you have to say for your actions?"

_I'm grown and so is your daughter, _he wanted to hiss, but decided quickly against that. _Damn, I'm biting my tongue a lot tonight. _He glanced up at Kagome as he took her hand in his again and smiled. Turning his attention to her mother, he stated, "Well, I'm sorry you caught us in such a provocative position, but I really missed her. I didn't expect anyone to be up this late." He turned to glare at Souta, who flinched back, and then finished while turning his attention back to mother hen, "Things got a little carried away, but it's my fault. She didn't know I was coming and when she opened the door, I was on her before she could react."

"Inuyasha!" Kagome reprimanded in a low threatening tone, but the hanyou didn't turn his gaze away from her mother. For a brief second, he could've sworn he saw the side of her mouth turn up ever so slightly, but it was so quick he wouldn't have placed a bet on it.

"I see," she stated eyeing him and Kagome carefully. "So, I've heard apologies and excuses, but neither one of you have apologized for crushing my roses or told me what you're going to do to remedy this situation."

All three of the onlookers stared at her gape mouthed, neither speaking as she continued, "You see, a lot of sweat and elbow grease has gone into making that garden beautiful and I have a rose show this weekend, and now because of the two of you all my and Nola's work has gone straight down the toilet. There's no way that I have any chance of winning."

"Your garden?" Inuyasha whispered, not realizing that he was speaking out loud.

"Well, yeah," she retorted as if it were a no brainer. "Did you think I was upset because of what the two of were doing? Sure, it was shocking to see, because no mother wants to see their daughter in that sort of predicament, but the two of you are grown, after all. And I'm quite sure you do a lot worse in Tokyo."

His mouth started to move and Kagome growled, cutting him off as she hissed threateningly, "Don't…you…dare."

He had to chuckle at that. What did she think he was going to tell her? How he bends her daughter over his bed, couch, sink, counter, and any other thing that catches his fancy? Or was he supposed to tell her that her daughter is a freak? Or maybe he would tell her that her daughter was just as, if not more, delicious than the richest cheesecake and sweetest wine.

He smiled at his thoughts, missing most of the conversation that was going on between Kagome and her mother.

"Good, so long as we understand each other," her mom stated, standing slowly to her feet. "Let's go, Souta. Give your sister some privacy; I'm sure she'd like to tell Inuyasha goodnight properly."

Inuyasha blinked up at her as she turned a knowing look towards him. "Uh, sorry about your roses," he offered quietly.

"I would say that its fine, but I would be lying. However, it was wonderful meeting you," she intoned politely, and Inuyasha admitted that there was definitely something that he liked about this woman. Maybe it was because she didn't seem to sweat the small stuff, or maybe it was because he could see little bits of Kagome in her face. He didn't know which is was for sure, but he was sure that with time, he'd like her even more.

The little shit finally stood to his feet as well and started across the chair that he and Kagome was sitting in and for a fraction of a second Inuyasha thought hard about sticking his foot out and tripping the runt up. After all, if it wasn't for him, he'd be getting laid right now.

Well, he'd probably be done, but still that was neither here nor there. He would've gotten himself some.

"Next time you'll think before you threaten to tell on Nola and me," Souta whispered at Kagome.

Her eyes seemed confused for a second, and then they brightened vividly as realization dawned on her. "You didn't!" she shouted. "You went and got Mom?"

Souta grinned and charged toward the stairs, his longs legs carrying him swiftly out of her reach.

She growled again and clenched her teeth tight. "That little two-faced shit," she growled softly.

"Yeah, well little brothers are like that," Inuyasha offered, pulling her down into his lap so that she was cradled against his chest.

She growled again. "I'll kill him!"

Leaning in, he sniffed her disheveled hair, ran his clawed hands over the smooth skin of her thigh and whispered huskily as he gently kissed her cheek, "You know; you really haven't had that much dog in you to be growling as much as you do."

She leaned into him, her face still set in a deep scowl causing him to wonder if she even realized what she was doing or if she had heard his comment.

"That little prick," she hissed softly.

She was angry at her brother, he could see that, but it was done and over now. Remaining angry really wasn't going to solve anything. "Let it go, Wench. It's done with. Besides, all things considered, it worked out pretty nicely, don't you think?"

She finally looked at him, her face relaxing slowly, her eyes warming as if she was seeing him for the first time that night. The upper part of her body turned towards him and she snaked her arms around his neck. "I can't believe you're really here, Takahashi. I mean, just a few hours ago, I was cursing you out and thinking that you didn't want to be with-"

A solitary finger to her lips stopped her dead in her tracks.

He stared at her for a long moment pondering exactly how to say what he needed to and not have her read entirely too much or too little into it. "That's one thing that I don't think you'll ever have to worry about." He noticed the serious look on her face as if she was trying to decipher what he was saying and so he added jokingly, "You know in the youkai world, possession is more than 9/10ths of the law; it's everything, and you've already claimed me as yours, right?"

She smiled at the memory, her cheeks pinking.

Her head lowered timidly and then rose as she mumbled softly, "I can't believe I said that to you. You must be thinking that I'm crazy now. Just claiming you like your some piece of meat or something. I'm sorry. "

His face fell; he'd been hoping that she meant those words. Brushing off his thoughts, Inuyasha smiled ruefully and retorted seriously, "You don't have any reason to apologize to me; it actually felt kind of good-in a crazy way-to actually be wanted for a change, you know?"

He did his best to hide his disappointment from her. Well, maybe not his best because she commented on it right away.

"It's not that I don't want you like that, Inuyasha. I just figured-"

"Don't worry about it," he told her quickly, leaning in to give her a peck on the cheek.

She stared at him wanting to say more, but clearly not knowing where to even begin and that was perfectly fine with him. His head tilting to the side, he took in everything about her that he'd missed slowly: the curves of her lips, the arch of her neck, the rise of her sensuous cheek bones, the smell of her sweet breath, the glint of her beautiful eyes, and the way her eyebrows drew together so perfectly when she was cogitating hard over something silly.

_Gotta love her_, he told himself as he patted her gently on the thigh and whispered, "Well, I guess I should be off now."

"You're leaving now?"

He smirked back at her despondent face. "Yeah, I mean that's really one hell of a run back to the hotel."

"But you just got here," she told him urgently, her voice anxious or was that desperation.

Whichever it was, he didn't like it.

"Okay, well…" she started to say but trailed off. Her fingers twisted in her hands in a childish sort of way and she murmured so soft that had he been human, he would've missed it totally, "I…don't want you to go."

He leaned in and kissed her forehead again as he stood agilely to his feet, her clasped protectively in his arms.

Setting her on her feet as he neared the front door, he spared a long moment to glance around at the room, before his eyes fell on her upturned downtrodden face. He tried not to notice that she was fighting back moisture, but that was a futile venture at best.

_She's definitely going to be the death and the best of me, _he told himself.

Lifting her chin, he leaned down to her and decided that maybe he should let her in on the plan. His breath misted over her ear causing her to shiver, and he smiled to himself liking that with the slightest touch from him, he was able to arouse her in such away. "Go up to the room with the pink curtains and open the window."

She stared back at him wide eyed. "Oh…okay," she acknowledged, finally figuring out what he was saying. "Well, I wish you could stay longer, but I guess I'll talk to you tomorrow?"

Inuyasha chuckled. "Bet on it," he quipped, leaning forward to scoop her up with one arm. He planted a nice one on her. It was just long enough to let anyone that was watching know that she was taken and just deep enough to let that same person know that sex was definitely a part of their relationship.

He set her back down on the floor in front of him, spared just a moment to run his thumb across her chin and then turned, exiting the house, closing the door tightly behind him.

He heard the lock click a few seconds later and the sound of feet padding quickly up the stairs followed by a curse directed at Souta, and then a slamming door. She was in her bedroom.

He decided he'd wait for a few minutes maybe a little longer to give Kagome some time to calm down and the runt a few minutes to fall asleep, because if they were interrupted this time, he was not going to be held responsible for what he did.

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuyasha**_

* * *

_Where is he? _she mused, her anxiety rising with each second that trickled by.

_Is he mad at me? Is he upset about what I said? _She wanted to believe that was not the case, because the kiss that he'd planted on her when he left definitely told her otherwise.

_Damn it, Taka- _Her thoughts cut off as strong arms slipped around her waist pulling her flush against a strong chest and she sighed in relief not needing to look to see who it was.

Melting into him, she whispered softly, her arms falling to her waist to lay on top of his masculine ones, "It's about time, dog-boy."

He brushed her hair to the side and kissed the side of her neck tenderly. "Why are you still dressed?"

She spun then, coming face to face with that damn smirk that melted her heart every time she saw it and she realized that absence really did make the heart grow fonder. "I was waiting on you to do it."

He snorted almost arrogantly, but in such a casual way that it didn't upset her or make her want to show him otherwise.

He took a half step back away from her, lifted her arms over her head and told her with his eyes to keep them there; she did. His claws raked slowly down her arms, down to the sides of breasts, her waist, and then dipped beneath her shirt pulling the garment up as his hands roamed expertly over her heated skin.

"Did you lock the door?" he asked huskily, not taking is eyes away from the task at hand.

He spun her around away from him, her shirt moving further up her body, then quickly over her head and disappearing from her sight all together. Something cool and wet, wide and rigid ran up her spine sensuously and she shivered while taking a subconscious step forward.

His hands on her waist held her in place and finally she realized that he'd asked her a question. "Yes, it's locked."

He chuckled, his tongue leaving the base of her neck as his clawed hand delved into the sides of her shorts. He pulled her back flat against his chest again. One hand now wrapped possessively around her mid-section, the other delving deep between her legs so that he was palming her heated slick nest.

One of his legs moved between her own, widening her stance and giving him more access and she wondered in the moment as his gentle clawed finger parted her lower lips and ran through her wetness, just how she'd gone this long without him. Without his touch, without his kisses, and without this feeling that he always elicited in her; how had she gone this long and still held on to her sanity?

Her head fell back against his shoulder, her eyes closing as he slipped one then two of his finger into her and cupped her breast with his other hand. She arched forward, her hips grinding down on his fingers eagerly.

"Takahashi," she whispered.

"Yes?" he queried seductively while kissing his way down the side of her neck to her shoulder, intermittently nibbling here and there.

He plucked at her clit, sucked at her neck and tickled her protruding nipple as she hissed and shivered against him, her body speaking the words before her mouth knew what she wanted to say. "I…I've missed you…so much."

She heard material being ripped and felt a cool breeze on her lower half, but she was too stuck in this feeling, the emotion that was roiling through her. His touch, his closeness was making it so that she couldn't think…couldn't focus and didn't want to.

"If you're not careful, I'm going to start to believe that it's my body you've missed most," he responded while spinning her back around to face him. Her naked body was locked against his, his molten eyes boring holes into her own.

She almost started to look away because of the intensity they held, but forced herself to hold steadfast as she responded, her voice coming out more seductive then she intended, "Would that be a bad thing?"

Her answer was a searing hot kiss, his claws digging into the tender skin of her sides, her back, and her ass. He scooped her up so that her legs were wrapped around his waist. She met his hunger with her own, her arms coming up to encircle his neck and pull him closer.

Their tongues danced in each other's mouths, each one vying for some semblance of dominance. Kagome rode up higher on him while her hands dug into the roots of his hair. Pulling his head back, she then pulled away from his lips, kissed down the side of his face, and sucked at his neck as her free hand tugged at the material of his shirt, demanding that it be removed.

He growled that same growl from less than an hour ago, and she almost froze, once again feeling like she had no choice but to submit to it.

She fought against it, as best she could, but it didn't matter because he took that moment to lift her higher up his body, her back now pressed against the wall of her room.

She was hot, wet and slick. She could feel it draining down her leg and tracing down the crack of her ass, coating everything it came in contact with. She needed him buried deep inside her. She needed him to drink her in, quench his thirst on her. She needed him so bad…so strongly that she almost cried out, forgetting where they were. Instead, she whimpered his name as her legs landed comfortably on his shoulders.

Her head rolled to the side, her back firm against the wall. She realized in that moment that she was a little too close to the ceiling.

Glancing down at him, she thought about asking him what he was doing, but at the feel of his fingers parting her lower lips, his cool, yet hot wet tongue licking languorously up and down her slit, and then flitting over her clit, she shuddered violently, her pussy throbbing hard against his mouth.

"Gods," she whispered weakly as she steadied herself with one hand on the ceiling of her bedroom and the other one buried into the roots of his hair.

He pulled her clit into his mouth and sucked on it like he was hell bent on giving her the best and first blow job of her life. It was so erotic, so damn pleasurable that she pushed her hips forward, driving her clit deeper into his mouth giving him better access to what he wanted, what she wanted and demanded that he have.

"Inu-" she hissed. It was painful; her clit was swollen and throbbing, thrumming begging for release. His mouth dropped lower on her, his tongue lapping at her wet cave like a thirsty dog would to a water bowl.

She rocked against his mouth, rolling her hips upward and his tongue slipped into her. It massaged her walls-inside and out-while his thumb came up to her clit again and she knew, he was giving her the okay to cum.

Her head fell back against the wall in a soft thump that she didn't feel. His hands clasped at her hips holding her steady as if he knew what was about to come and she was thankful to him for it. Because as his soft lips repeatedly met and sucked hungrily against her swollen nether region, her clit thumping and pulsing against his thumb as if it was a tiny little penis, she lost her grip on reality, on sanity and on any and everything that was holding her to this plane with the exception of him.

Kagome allowed her body to roll, jerk, and twist in time with the rapid beat of her heart as her juices burst free from her womb, coating his mouth, his tongue, and rolled down the inside of her thigh.

If she was in her right mind, she knew she would've been overly embarrassed right now, but as her body continued to spasm and jerk and she focused on not crying out like she wanted to, she just really couldn't find it in her to care about such a trivial thing.

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

Inuyasha laid her down on the bed gently and stepped back away from her, his hand running absently down his face as he licked his lips savoring every drop that was her, 'the girlfriend'…his girlfriend.

_Damn._

She stared up at him expectantly. When he didn't move, he could see the way her eyes narrowed suspiciously at him. He looked away from her, his eyes slowly taking in her naked heated body. He drank in the curves of her hips, the rise of her breasts, the flattened smooth surface of her stomach that scorched him every time he touched it, and the gentle rocking of her hips as the last of her orgasm died down.

_Shit!_

His eyes roamed lower as he stepped towards the bed. It was almost as if it, her body, was calling out to him and he was more than willing to answer it. At least, under normal circumstances he would have.

His fingers traced down the contours of her belly, over the bulbous gentle rise of her meaty womb, down the inside of her thigh and stilled as he knelt beside the bed, his eyes focused on her knees.

"Inuyasha, what are you waiting on? Stop toying with me."

_I don't have any condoms,_ he thought regretfully, but replied to her, "I'm just taking in the beauty of it all. Besides, what's the rush?" He knew he was buying time, but he wasn't quite sure what he was buying time for. Nothing more than what had already taken place between them was going to happen, nothing. It couldn't…it just couldn't. He hadn't planned this!

She sighed softly and pushed herself up so that she was sitting upright. Still, he didn't meet her gaze, knowing if he did all rational thought would evaporate, forcing him to do something so reprehensible that he would never ever be able to take it back.

Her hand reached out, her fingers running slowly down the side of his face. "I made you a promise, didn't I?"

"What are you talking about?" he questioned softly, finally looking at her. "What promise?"

She swung her legs off the bed quickly and he pushed back standing up, his eyes trained on her, waiting for some kind of explanation.

"Kagome?"

She was silent as she stood slowly to her feet, a timid smile on her face, and her cheeks tinged with a rosy red hue. She stepped towards him, forcing him back against the wall of her room.

"Do you want to tell me what you're thinking, wench?"

Everything in him told him to keep her at arms length. It told him to just tell her that he hadn't planned for this and therefore he didn't have any rubbers, but his mouth felt like it was filled with cotton. It was like his body didn't want him to do the right thing. It didn't want him to…to push her away and save this for another day.

Her heated hands were running down the sides of his face, his neck, and dipping eagerly into the neck line of his shirt. He shivered under her torturous perusal. He could smell her arousal thick in the air around them, whipping against his resolve, tormenting him, and pushing him in a direction that he just didn't want to be forced in.

_Stop her, _the sane part of his mind whispered, _this isn't right. You know where this will lead. _He wanted to stop her. He wanted to listen, but the pull that she had over him, the need and the desire that he had within himself to just be close to her was so much stronger than any rational thing anyone could say to him at the moment.

Her breath was hot and sweet against his face as she whispered things to him that he couldn't quite comprehend. Her face came closer to his as his eyes closed expectantly. Her soft lips pressed firmly against his. One of her hands found their way beneath his shirt, while the other was gripping and raking in a very primal exotic kind of way at the skin on the base of his neck.

_Stop her, _he told himself as his hands found her waist and pulled her closer. He pressed his hips into her, and growled into her mouth as he leaned forward deepening the kiss. _Stop this now, _he told himself again, _stop it before you…you can't stop!_

Every fiber of his being was fighting against him as he released her naked hips and placed them in the tight area between their bodies in order to push her away. He pushed, but he knew he wasn't fooling anyone. She didn't budge because the force behind that pathetic push was nonexistent.

"Ka…Kagome," he growled, dragging his lips away from hers while trying desperately to block out the way her touch, and the scent of her was invading every coherent thought he was having.

_No condom, no condom, no…fucking… condom, _he kept repeating to himself. He closed his eyes to her, trying pathetically to hold her to him while pushing her away at the same time. He could've moved, shoved her to the side and jumped out the window, but just as badly as he knew he needed to do that, he didn't want to and couldn't make himself.

_Help me, _he pleaded weakly to any God that was listening at this moment of blatant fornication.

Her succulent lips were on his chest, sucking at his nipples, and causing his will to fracture like a devastating crack in a crystal vase.

He wondered offhandedly at which point it was that she'd started undressing him, and then he wanted to kick himself because her tongue had roamed further down his body to his navel. The manicured nails of her tender hand was raking over his side and sending shivers down his spine, while that other damnable hand had his belt undone, his jeans unfastened and unzipped and was eagerly stroking his member.

_Not…good, but so fucking good, _he growled silently his hips undulating in tune with her eager strokes. _Tell her, tell her now!_

"We can't, Kagome. We…shit… I…don't…," he started to say, but the feel of cool heat on his throbbing member froze his body and plunged his mind into a world that he hadn't visited since he'd started seeing her. _She's sucking…_

Glancing down, he realized quickly, that she was on her knees before him, one hand wrapped around his cock, her tongue running down the underside of his shaft slowly. Her eyes were closed as if savoring her task, focusing.

"Ka…gome?" His hand reached out touching the side of her face, drawing her attention.

She opened her eyes, stared up at him with angelic eyes seconds before her lips parted again, and closed over the head of his swollen member swallowing as much as she could only to pull back again, allowing him to see the glistening head of his dick. She flicked her tongue over the head again, sucked forcefully on it like she was trying to suck every ounce of semen out of him, only to loosen her jaws and repeat the process again and again.

"Shit!" His head fell back against the wall, and his hand moved slowly from the side of her head to the roots of her hair.

Her mouth moved like a heated whirlpool over him. It was like she was sucking him in, drowning him in a sea of her only to let him rise briefly for a breath of air and drag him right back down again into that sweet unnatural oblivion that he didn't really mind dying in.

He felt the head of his dick ride over the ridges of her mouth, bounce against the soft wet flesh of her right jaw only to be repeated on the other side of her mouth. It was almost as if she wanted to make sure she tasted him in every corner of her mouth.

In that moment, the only thought he could managed was a husky, _Damn. _His knees started to weaken as he held on to the roots of her hair with one hand while holding onto the edge of the wall with the other in an attempt to keep himself from dropping to the floor.

She gripped him tighter, twisting up and down his shaft while her mouth and jaws suckled his swollen head. Her tongue lavishly whipped out against the underside of his cock, stroking it like a professional Fluffer from a porno set. She greedily sucked him in and pulled him out only to repeat the process each time faster than the last.

She was determined, ferocious, famished, and ravenous. His cock was her meal, her final dinner before execution, before she flat lined. She devoured him like a lion would a zebra, a snake would a mouse or praying mantis would her mate. She owned him, every cell, every nerve, and every muscle. She owned him.

It was dizzying thing, making his head light and his muscles clench. He hissed her name through his clenched teeth as he tried to hold on to what was left of himself, but he knew this battle was lost the moment he tried to play it with her.

She moaned, her hand coming up to cup his balls gently allowing them to roll through her fingers gingerly. He moaned under his breath, his hips bucking forward into her mouth as she gently squeezed his testicles in tune with the circular pumping motion of her hand that was wrapped around his shaft. Her jaws…her wonderful God-gifted jaws sucking against him pulling him forward, forcing him back, and tearing his will to shreds.

"Fu..uck,"he hissed, his muscles stiffening, his toes curling within his shoes, his hands balled into fists in her mane, and his hips pumping feverishly into her mouth.

He was cumming, he could feel it spilling up and over, edging out, pushing him to the end of oblivion. Her scent of renewed arousal surrounded him, swallowed him whole, clogged his mind and senses to what's right and what's wrong and he grunted one last time pulling her head closer.

He didn't want to cum in her mouth. He didn't want to. Not to her, not the girlfriend, but he was so close, it was right there waiting…calling his name…demanding an opening, an exit…release!

"Move!!" he growled.

She didn't; it was too later.

It only took two more pumps into her heated decadent mouth and his seed spilled down her throat and over her tongue until it had nowhere else to go, and began draining down the side of her lips.

He pushed her away weakly, his knees giving out beneath him, this feeling…this fucking feeling...

He jerked his dick, trying desperately to ease the exquisite ache that twisted his insides like some sinful beast from a horror movie.

His breathing was heavy and labored as he doubled over, his member clasped in his hand while the other kept him from collapsing to the floor.

He was tired, exhausted actually, but he still wanted her…needed her. He knew she was near, a few inches, maybe a foot away from him, and he reached out grabbing her roughly with one clawed hand.

Dragging her to him, he kissed her fully and forcefully. He could taste his seed on her tongue, smell him on her breath and that only served to turn him on even more.

_Mine, _he raged in head. At least, he thought that was him. _Mine!!_

He growled again, dragging her beneath him. He pushed her back so that she was laying on the floor in one fluid motion. She moved before him, spreading her legs wide, the look in her eyes fueled with desire, need, admiration, and lust.

Gods, he wanted her so bad, he could literally feel himself inside of her, dancing against her walls.

He shook his shirt off his shoulders, pushed his jeans down his legs and off his body totally, along with his shoes, and pulled her down further so that she lying there waiting like a succulent dish of desire and poison. Her waiting hips pushed up against his, telling him that she was ready.

His world twisted into itself, blurred in a haze of mist and cleared only for the process to repeat again and again. He growled, his body lay rigid his over hers, the deep seated need to be one with her if only for this one moment in time tore at his very core, driving him the brink of insanity and held him there seemingly dumbstruck.

Something deep inside of him was stirring, hissing words, incoherent things that he didn't understand and didn't want to. He shook his head and hoped against hope that she didn't see this internal battle raging inside of him.

His eyes closed to her wanton face as he questioned in a voice so low so raspy that he didn't believe it was his, "Do you love me?"

Silence, so deep so torrential ensued that he almost…almost pushed back away from her. Hands, soft and gentle at the sides of face caressing his skin drew him back, forced his eyes to open and stare down into hers.

She was searching his face for an answer to his question. Her eyes seemed to fade out as if trying to decipher something that only she could, and then came back brighter and more poignant than before. She rubbed the pads of her thumbs over his cheeks, closed her eyes briefly and smiled up at him as she responded without a hint of doubt, "No, I don't love you. I'm in love with you. All of me; it's yours, Inuyasha, if you want it."

His heart soured and crashed at the same time. Just because she said yes, didn't mean that he could do this. It didn't mean that it was alright for him to…to claim her as his when he still wasn't 100% sure about anything. She could wake up in the morning and regret this! She could stumble upon that stupid ex of hers or someone else for that matter, and forget about him! She could leave him! They weren't married, they didn't live together, and they had no viable reason to even be together now!

How could he even contemplate something like this? How could he willingly claim her like this when he knew better than anyone that humans were a fickle bunch?

Still, he didn't move.

"Look at me," she whispered softly, and he did. "Why is this so hard for you? We've done this a hundred times before. Why is it so hard now?"

She didn't know, or at least hadn't realized that he didn't have a condom. She didn't understand. She didn't know! That made everything so much worse! This… He couldn't do this! He couldn't make this decision for her!

He closed his eyes briefly, inhaled her scent deeply and then reopened his eyes slowly. "Because you can leave me," he answered quietly, his golden gaze besieged and sad. "At a whim, you can leave me," he reiterated, but finished in his head, _But I won't ever be able to leave you._

She was smart, she'd figure out why his answer was so cryptic. She'd figure it out before this went any further and she'd stop him, wouldn't she? She'd make the decision for him!

He may not have known exactly how this whole mating thing worked when it came to the choosing part, but he was quite sure that if he went bare back it…he was done. It could not be undone, regardless of whether she decided later that she wanted him or not; it could not be undone. His _spinx_ would reach out latching onto the soft tissue of her inner walls, tying her to him and him to her. It would bind their bloods, their lives, and change her ever so subtly.

He hadn't even realized that he was looking away from her until she turned his face back to her and whispered, "I'm not going anywhere. I've already tried, remember?"

He shook his head slowly. "Kagome, I want to, but this time isn't like all the rest. It's differ…different."

Their eyes met and he wanted to believe that she had some sort of understanding of what he was trying to tell her. Before he could try to register another thought; however, her hips rose up against his then rocked down so gently that as the head of his penis broke through her moist heated slit and sank slowly deeper and deeper into her, he found it almost impossible to hold his position over her.

His arms started to shake, a shiver ran up and down his spine, and small shocks of what felt like electricity raced out to each of his limbs. His hands balled into fists and his head hung forward resting on hers heavily as she slowly gyrated up against on his dick, silently begging him to come play with her…come join her.

He tried to open his eyes, to glare down at her and tell her…yell at her that she'd just royally fucked him, but he couldn't fight his way through the heat, the flames that surrounded him, burning him and remaking him from the inside out. The feel of her soft grooves… The heat… the exquisite pleasure that riled up inside of him…

"What are you doing?" he questioned stupidly, his forehead still resting against hers.

She reached up, snaked her arms around his neck and kissed him. "Making love to my boyfriend, of course." She kissed him again, her lips hot against his, her tongue flicking out tasting his flesh sensually while damning his very soul to the bowels of hell.

How was he supposed fight this! How was he supposed to stop her, when if he was truthful with himself, he would've admitted that this felt more natural than waking up in the morning. It felt like the awakening of a part of him that he hadn't even realized was asleep. It felt like the dawning of a new day and the deadening of a past that he'd been running from for too many years.

No matter how wrong he knew this was, he couldn't deny that it felt…it felt right.

_It may feel right, but I can't just claim her. What will I do if she rejects me? What will I do if I claim her and she's not the one? Just because I want her today, will I want her tomorrow? Will she want me? _

His hips rocked back against hers slowly, his member digging deep into her as a moan slipped from his lips, her breasts arching up towards him, calling him, begging him, pleading with him.

He stilled quickly after realizing what he'd done. He shivered against her, hating her and loving her all at once, but repulsed by himself for not being strong enough to pull back…to run…to do the right things when she couldn't.

"Do…do you love me?" she questioned softly, her tone holding so much uncertainty that he knew she was waiting for him to break her heart.

He stared down at her, his eyes pleading with her to understand that this was about so much more than love. It was about his mortality. It was about so much more than that fickle thing called love. He closed his eyes, and replied, "Does it matter? It has nothing to do with this, Kagome."

"It has everything to do with this, Takahashi. Do you love me? Do you want me? Do you need me the way that I need you? It's the only thing that matters."

His mind floated back to a time long ago when he'd basically told her that she wasn't good enough…that she wasn't the one. He wouldn't do that again, he couldn't hurt her like that again, because the truth was if he could have it his way at this one moment and time, she would be all he ever wanted, craved, and lived for. She would be his…his only…

"Yes," he hissed. "Yes, to every question you asked me. Yes. Gods, yes."

She smiled up at him, her eyes glistening. "Well, then show me."

How many mistakes had he made in the past? How many times had he done something that he knew if he could do all over again, he would? How times during his life had he stumbled and fell flat on his face? How many mistakes…

Staring down at her, his confused expression slowly vanishing to be replaced by an accepting scowl, he realized that regardless of whether this was actually a mistake or not, to him it would never be one. It would never be something that he regretted. If it killed… If she at some point and time decided that she didn't want him, he would willingly leave her and wait on her in the afterlife in hopes that maybe they could do it right the next time.

He knew that if he did this, it would not be a stumble by any means; it was a comeuppance that he didn't deserve and probably never would, but it would still be his. This was his one reward in a lifetime of heartbreaks.

It was selfish and it was stupid. It could've been considered callous and uncaring and he knew he could've easily been equated to that bastard Kouga and maybe even Dinshu, but in that moment, that second in time, it all made undisputable sense to him.

He wasn't Dinshu and he wasn't Kouga. Because he loved her, truly and deeply, he loved her. If she allowed him to, she would never want for anything. She would be cared for and treated like the Queen that she was, and he would never put anyone before her, never.

It was the reason why he'd followed her home the night he first saw her. It was the one reason why since being with her, he was able to heal. It was why when he wasn't with her, he felt as if he was coming undone. It was why he'd shown up on her door half crazed and out of his mind after his fight with Ginta. It was the reason why he'd chased her down at the hospital, begging her not to leave him and to give him a chance to make this thing between them right. Finally, it was why he found it almost impossible to deny her anything, even this, his life.

The voice, it made sense now. Maybe it was only because he wanted it to, but it did. The fact that she could hold him and caress him when Rin couldn't; it made sense now. It all made sense now.

His head dipped low, hungrily devouring her lips as his hips rocked into her. His clawed hands ran down the side of her legs to her knees. He pulled her legs up so that they were wrapped around his back. He reached beneath her, elevated her hips giving him better access to the deeper more intricate parts of her womb.

He figured if he was going to do this without her permission, he mightiest well make sure it was done right. After all, there was only one first and only for something like this.

She moved against him effortlessly allowing him the entrance he desired.

He located her hands and pinned them over her head on the floor and found the groove he was seeking easily. Time stilled and wavered as their bodies moved perfectly against one another, each meeting the other's undulating hips with passion and a need that would go unmatched by any other lover they may have had.

He allowed the heat and sheer expert carving of her grooves to pull him towards the edges of forever, show him a few glimpses of a future that he'd reached for in the past, and push him back again.

She whispered incoherent things in between moans as her nails sunk into the skin of his hands but he held her in place as he continued to slowly undulate into her, his hips rolling against her, hitting areas and feeling things that he'd never experienced in his life.

He'd known that there was a definite difference between wearing a condom and not wearing one, but this sensation that he realized words hadn't been created to describe was so unbelievable that it needed to be outlawed.

The floor slipped from beneath the two them, giving him the feeling that he was floating as his heart raced within his chest, his breathing almost a pant. Her body rolled up against his, a soft sheen of sweat glistening on her brow.

She whispered fractured syllables of his name softly, her moans becoming louder and louder with each rock of his hips and he knew that she was almost there, ready to drag him into that unknown oblivion that she only allowed him glimpses of from time to time, but this time…this time he'd show her his.

He pushed back so that he was squatting between her legs, his member still buried deep inside her. Her hand came up searching out the heat of his body, raking angrily across his abdomen burning him, but he ignored it as he gripped her hips and pulled her to him repeatedly, pounding into her over and over again.

His member was slick with her juices and a tempered mixture of his own and he closed his eyes to it, allowing the feeling of her soft walls clenching and pulsing around his staff to pull him forward with her over that edge and into the darkness below.

She sprang up, clawing at his shoulders as she hissed, "Dear God."

He pulled her to him so that her legs were wrapped around his waist, her chest to his and allowed her the ride him. His mind was lost, wrapped up in everything that was her, and he found it almost intolerable to hold on, but as he felt the first throb of her womb, her heated juices spurting down over his member, he lost it completely.

The world around him went black, the only thing making sense, the sensations…the feelings. The heat that twisted up from the pit of his belly and travelled swiftly down his shaft bursting from him and into her was an ungodly sinful thing that neither existed in heaven nor hell, nor this earth…this realm; it was too unnatural and exquisite.

He tumbled forward, his hips pumping into her swiftly as she cried out almost painfully, her hips roiling against his, drinking him in and spilling out her own goodness.

The world blurred again, darkness faded to light, evil to good, and sickness to health and finally…finally he knew that there was no him without her. From this point…from this second as he held rigid inside her as he sealed this one-sided deal, she was his.

She arched up against him, her body stiff and rigid beneath his, her face contorted in pleasure, as her nails dug into his shoulders leaving ragged red marks. He leaned forward, his breathing heavy as he felt the pulsing at the slit of his penis slowly begin to decrease telling him that it was done, and he whispered softly in her ear, "Whatever happens from here, always remember that I love you."

Time started around him again as he laid still above her, allowing her to calm down and allowing himself to soften inside her. He reached up in one fluid motion pulling the blankets and pillows off her bed. Lifting her head, he positioned one of the pillows there, and then shifted so that he was lying beside her on the other pillow.

Staring up at the ceiling, he knew that there was no possible way that this could be undone now. What he'd just done… What he'd just given her, could not be taken back. She was his…she was marked. Any youkai that came across her would know and would respect the binding, but a human man wouldn't know the difference.

_I did this without her permission. If she decides that she doesn't want to be with me tomorrow, a week from now, or 2 years from now, there isn't a damn thing I can do. I can't make her stay with me, because she doesn't know…she hasn't accepted me. She's my mate, but I'm not her's._

She rolled, her arm slipping around his bare chest as a sigh slipped from her lips. "That was so…so good," she whispered sleepily.

"Uh, yeah," he replied softly, slipping his arm around her and pulling the covers up so that they were covering her shoulders.

"In the morning, we're going to have to do that again."

He chuckled at that. "I don't know about that, wench. Your mom doesn't really know that I'm here and I think after all that damn noise you just made, I should be heading back to the hotel soon." He flinched internally at the thought of leaving her.

How fucked up was that? He'd just claimed her and couldn't even bask in the fucking after glow. No, this was totally fucked up no matter how he looked at it. It wasn't a mistake, but it was still fucked up.

She pushed up at that and stared down at him. "No!"

He stared back at her, trying to read her expression. "No? You know I can't stay here. Your mom would be pissed."

She frowned, but didn't say anything else as she snuggled back down against him, a sad sigh slipping from her lips.

As her breathing evened out, he reached up and brushed her hair away from her face. Pushing back, he stared down at her face and sighed softly. She was definitely his, he was sure of that. He could smell her scent changing, twisting and turning into something that was a mixture of him and her, but definitely more him.

Part of him wanted to apologize to her, for what he'd done, but the other part wanted to rejoice in his selfish actions. He knew that when the time came, when his chickens came home to finally roost, he'd be the one suffering for his inability to tell her no.

Kissing her forehead, he closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her body, hugging her to him. _I don't regret it. I'll never regret it, even if you hate me for it later, I'll never regret it._

Maybe that's what made it just that much worse.

_**Until Next Time**__… _(More Fluff to come. Your .02 cents are appreciated!!)

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_**Spinx**__: Hidden species within the lining of all male demon's penises; it only comes out once in their lifetime to bind their chosen mate. Think of a snake about the diameter of nickel or dime with millions of tiny teeth, no eyes, no legs, and clear as a bubble. At the point of ejaculation, it shoots forward, latching onto the walls of the female's uterus where it pumps the male's DNA and blood into the female host. Within seconds, the spinx dissolves into a liquid similar to sperm and drains from the female body as nothing more than semen. The blood and DNA binds with the female's, transforming it slightly, thereby making the mating process irreversible. _

_**A/N/N:**__ This explains, in my story, how Inutaishio was able to have a wife and a mate. His spinx never bound itself with Sesshomaru's mother, and it explains how Dinshu and Kouga could call their wives their mates, but know otherwise. The male knows when this is taking place or has taken place, the female feels nothing more than a more explosive orgasm. That's my story…and this is my story, and I'm sticking to it!!_

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**Next Chapter**: Stir Crazy Women

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**Acknowledgments**: ( All others have been sent PM's)

**Chinochan Inulover**: Thank you so much for your wonderful review, both of them!!

**KittyKat_8907**: Thanks for your review, my new friend, I hope this chapter did not disappoint you.

**Idrileledil**: That really wasn't meant to be a cliffhanger (lol). Okay, so maybe it was (lol). Thanks for your review!!

**Blacksilence333**: I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks for reviewing!!

**Tazzy**: Thanks for your patience, and I really hope this chapter did not disappoint you. Thanks for reviewing!!

**Jes**: Has anyone ever told you that you're demanding? If they haven't well now someone has (lol). Thanks for your review!!

**Annon**: Ambiguity? Wow, such big words (lol). Thanks so much for reviewing!!

**IrishIndy**: Thanks so much for your review!!


	55. Stir Crazy Women

**A/N: **As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness!! I'm having so much fun writing the down fall of Kagome and Inuyasha that I figured I might as well get the fluff rolling now, so please enjoy it while it last. I am officially a college graduate with a Bachelor's in Psychology!! Yay me, and I did graduate with honors and a 3.97 GPA!! Yay, me again!! I'll be going back in January for my Masters in Criminal Justice, so enjoy me while you guys have me!! Award wise, I think this fic was nominated for Best Action/Adventure with the Guild. Whoever did that, thanks!! To all others if it's not DQ'd, vote (lol)!! Anyway, thanks for your continued support and a very special thanks to my beta, Neko, who has sort of kind of disappeared on me (winks).

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**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nola, Nya, Dr. Aikio, Dinshu, Maki, Moki, Gage, the Spinx, and Takira.

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**Chapter 55**

**Stir Crazy Women**

She could feel the cool air wrapping about her as if warning her off, but she stood against it, her head down, her disheveled hair whipping around in a flurry of chaos.

She sighed heavily while adjusting her shades and trying to hide the bruise that she knew was visible. It made her feel self-conscious and violated, but it had been her idea. She'd told him that if she were to look the part of the battered girlfriend, he'd be more susceptible to forgiving her and picking up where they left off.

Kikyo pulled the tattered jacket she'd picked up from the second hand store a few days ago tighter around her lithe body, and tried to tell herself that she had no other recourse but to play this game. If she didn't, the next bruise and black eye she received would not be because she asked for it.

She glanced up and down the familiar street, slowly taking in the stores and Sushi stands that she'd been to on one too many occasions with him, Inuyasha.

She was happy with him, she admitted to herself; it was the first and the last time that she could remember being…happy, or rather satisfied.

She started down the sidewalk slowly, her hand shoved within her jacket as her dirty worn sneakers padded quietly against the cement below her feet.

There was no turning back; she had to do this. She had to make first contact, gain his sympathy and then work her way back into his life. It would be a slow process because she knew she'd crushed him. However, Oni was right; he was still just a man, a soft-hearted man that tried to pretend as if he had a heart of steel and that the small things had no significance.

Would he allow her in again? Would he be that foolish…that naïve? If he were dating someone else, which she knew was a very real possibility; would he allow her the room to steal him away?

Part of her hoped and prayed that he would, if for no other reason than her selfishness, but another part, the part that had secretly loved him prayed to the Gods that he wouldn't. It prayed that he would see through her broken and abused façade and tell her to go straight to hell where she belonged. Still, that part knew that what they shared, what they had before she destroyed him was real to an extent. At least, it was to him.

She slowed as she came to an American bistro that she remembered him taking her to on a few occasions and she smiled to herself.

She could remember the sound of his voice as if it were only yesterday since she'd last talked to him. She could remember the sound of his laughter as if he was standing right beside her, and she could remember…she could remember the feel of his hands in hers as they walked hand and hand up and down this same street. And she could see, almost smell the tears that trailed down his face when she told him…when she told him that she didn't…

She shook her head and sighed heavily. This was not the time or place for reminiscing. She had a job to do, and a plan to put into action. No, this was not the time or the place. Maybe the time would never really come, and she was okay with that; she had to be.

She continued down the street, one hand shoved in her pocket, the other trailing out over the dirty light poles, the mailboxes, the newspaper stands, and then she stopped and turned, looking across the corner at the building that housed his residence. The location where love was made and hearts were deceived.

Her feet started moving as if desperate to take her to him.

The double glass doors came upon her quickly and she jumped as if scared when the doorman told her good day and pulled the door open for her. She didn't meet his eyes, but she could see the look of pity that he shot her.

That was perfect, exactly what she and Oni were going for. Now it had to work on him, on Inuyasha.

She stepped through the doors timidly, her head down her steps quickening. She didn't need to look up to see where she was going. She knew the elevators were located at the far end of the lobby. She could make it there and then she'd be up to his floor within a matter of seconds.

Tears started to swell within her eyes, and she reached up, wiping them away. She wasn't sure if she was crying because she felt like she was running from Oni and towards salvation, or if she was crying because she knew that Inuyasha deserved so much more than what she was about to do to him. Whichever it was, it only served to make more tears fall.

"Ma'am," someone said, but she didn't stop.

"Excuse me!" the voice called again, this time louder and closer to her. She reached the elevators, hit the button to go up and waited impatiently for the elevator to open in front of her.

"Ma'am," the voice said again, from right behind her. "I need to see some ID."

_ID? _She couldn't believe what she'd just heard. She turned to him then, wiping the wetness from her cheeks. "I'm sorry…I don't…have any," she whispered. Her head was down, her voice low soft and broken. This was a part of the act. She would gain his sympathy, and he'd let her pass.

"I'm sorry, but we're under strict orders not to allow anyone in this building who doesn't live here," he told her apologetically.

She looked up at him, her lips trembling, her feet shuffling uncomfortably as if at any moment she was going to run. "I'm Takahashi-sama's wif-" she started to say, but swallowed her words quickly and looked away. "I was...I was his…" This should be easier than this, she knew, but she was finding it almost impossible to label herself in relation to him.

"Excuse me, but were you about to say that you were Takahashi-sama's wife?" the desk clerk asked a little too perceptively.

She nodded and sniffled, her head down. "I just need to speak with him, please. I won't be long. I just need to talk to him."

The guy frowned at her, his face marred with distrust and uncertainty. "I'm sorry but he's not up there. He and his _family_ are away on vacation; I'm not sure when they'll be back."

Kikyo looked up at him. _He and his family are away on vacation? _The pain and resentment that gripped her at just the thought of what those words implied. Was he with another woman? Had he moved on? Or was he just with Rin and Sesshomaru?

The pain and the ache of the jealousy that raced through her very core was such a vicious biting thing that she almost had to double over to counteract it, but she held steadfast, fought to keep her façade in place and tried to smile appreciatively at the man.

"If you want, I can take a name and number from you and give it to him when he gets back or when he calls," he offered while slowly guiding her away from the elevators.

She thought about that and decided that she would comply in order to not make anything seem too out of sorts. "Sure, I…I can do that."

She followed the guy over to the large desk, gave him her number and signed the bottom with a large K and a tiny heart, knowing that when he saw it, he'd know that it was her.

Kikyo started out the lobby, but slowed as she heard the man pick up the phone and dial quickly then state, "Takahashi-sama, this is Deko. Please call me when you get this message."

Kikyo frowned as she pushed out the door and back into the sunlight. She should have been happy because even though it wasn't happening the way she and Oni had planned, first contact had just been made, but she wasn't, not at all.

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

He rubbed at his eyes with the balls of his hands as if they could wipe away the tiredness that he knew was there.

Leaning forward, his elbows balanced on his denim clad knees, the hanyou stretched his tank top clothed back and exhaled a slow puff of cigarette smoke. Watching it dissipate into the air off his penthouse hotel suite, he groaned for the millionth time at his stupidity.

He had finally forced himself to leave the Higurashi compound just before the sun broke over the eastern sky. He hadn't expected it to be as hard as it was to leave her there. He knew she wasn't in any danger because he still hadn't released her unseen security detail and she was with her family. Even knowing that, he still couldn't stop himself from thinking that if he did leave her, something would happen to her.

In the end and only after hearing her mom awaken from a room down the hall, did he forcibly tell himself that he was being ridiculous and that he'd be back at her side within a few hours.

Before he left out the same window from which he'd entered, the hanyou had made sure that he left her a little good morning note with the name and number to the hotel that he was staying at as well as his room number since he really had no fucking clue as to where his cell phone was at the moment.

The second he'd gotten back to his room, he noticed that the damage he'd done the night before had been cleaned up, but he paid little attention to that as he jumped into the shower and did his damndest to wash her scent off of his person. He wasn't doing it because he didn't want it there. He did it because the moment Sesshomaru smelled him, he was going to know what he'd done and he was more than likely going to try to crucify him for it.

He didn't really care what his brother thought, but this was hard enough for him to deal with on his own, so to have someone else telling him how foolish an action this was really was not something that he was looking forward to.

Okay, so foolish didn't even begin to describe it. It was fucking idiotic! The most suicidal thing that any fucking youkai or half youkai could ever do! It was unforgivable! Soul damning! Asinine! Self-serving and downright deplorable!

He knew that, he knew all of that, but he still didn't consider it a mistake.

She, Kagome, the girlfriend to everyone else including her, but now mate to him, was not a mistake. The more he thought about it, he had decided that he'd done the right thing. Maybe it was for the wrong reasons, but he'd done the right thing.

So, he could've just told her, _"See Kagome, I don't have any condoms, but I really want to make love to you and I know you want me to. I mean, I know you love me and even though I've never said as much, you gotta know that I love you too. Well, I more than love you, I kind of think that you might be…I mean, I'm not 100% sure or anything, but it's close… I think you might be my mate. I mean that being the case and all would you let me bind you to myself? What do you say?"_

He groaned at his thoughts. Yeah, regardless of how he looked at it, he was a complete and total rancid jackass.

Who actually does something like this? Who just claims a fucking human? Who actually binds themselves to a human that may not even want him in a few days and without their knowledge or acceptance? Who does that? Who thinks so little of their life that they're just willing to throw it away?

Inuyasha took another drag of his cigarette and flicked the butt over the balcony. _I do, _he thought with a frown, _Takahashi Inuyasha does-correction-did that bullshit!_

Settling back in the chair, he slouched down; his bare feet cool against the cold cement floor of the balcony. He could hear his brother in his head raging on about how much of an idiot he was. How he better go back over to Kagome's and beg her to accept him, because if she didn't, he, Inuyasha, would be cursed to follow her around like a fucking lost puppy; pining behind her when she didn't want him. Then he'd go on to tell him that when her rejection became too much, he might as well kiss his narrow ass good bye, because he seriously doubted that his youkai blood would be able to survive that kind of rejection.

Yeah, he knew he'd gone about this the wrong way. He should have waited a while longer, gotten to know her a little better. Maybe after a few months maybe a year, he could've asked her to move in with him, then a few months from there asked her to marry him or something along those lines.

He cut his thoughts off. Hadn't he done that with Kikyo? Hadn't he done it all the right fucking way? Hadn't he wooed her, and moved her in with him, and fucking married her and still she left him? Hadn't he done this the right way one time before?

Yeah, he had, but he had never so solidly bound himself to her; that was the difference, wasn't it? He'd never really had that strong of a desire to literally and irrevocably bind himself to her, with the exception of the few times when they were having sex and he wondered curiously how it would feel without a condom, but it was nothing…the pull was nothing when compared with what pushed him over the edge last night.

He pushed Kikyo from his mind as if she was nothing more than an errant horrible dream. This was about Kagome and the mess he'd made of his life.

Yeah, so he'd done it right the first time and still it ended in crap. So what if he did it ass backwards this time? Maybe that meant that when this relationship didn't work out, he'd actually have a saving grace. He could expect not to survive it this time.

He smiled at that thought, because in all honesty he couldn't visualize him and Kagome not being together. Was that the whole mate thing working on him? He wasn't sure, but he found it funny really. All of a sudden he couldn't see them not being together, when before he couldn't come up with one valid reason why they should've been together in the first place.

The hanyou stared up at the blue sky and the fluffy white clouds that floated by looking like a huge perfect rack of tits. He felt good, whole. He felt like nothing was missing. There was nothing that he had to finish or to do. He had nothing to search for or run after. He felt…he felt complete.

_Is this what being mated feels like? Wholeness… Completeness… Like a puzzle with all its pieces?_ He thought that over for a moment longer and decided quickly, _I like it. It feels real good even if it does kill me later. Definitely not a mistake. No regrets._

That acceptance turned his thoughts in another direction. When and how was he going to tell her what he'd done? Would she be pissing mad at him, or would she be relieved because he'd basically proved to her that she was definitely his choice? Not only that, but…

A better thought occurred to him at that moment, _Maybe I won't have to tell her. Maybe, I can just continue on like nothing has changed between us. I mean, it's not like she'll ever know, right? If I can get that ass-wipe to keep his trap shut around her, then we'll be fine. If another demon crossed her path and said something to her about it, she'll deny it off the bat. If she brings it up to me, I'll laugh it off. In due time, I can pretend to do this whole mating shit the right way. _He smiled to himself. _Yeah, that just might work. We can continue to date for a while longer and if everything is going alright, I'll ask her to move in or some shit. Maybe even buy a different place with a yard for Ashton or do some renovations to my current place. This just might fucking working!!_

He liked this. In his mind this plan could work! He'd just have to string her along a little while longer. If he could do that, then to her, he wouldn't seem like that much of a chauvinistic asshole.

_String her along? _That…just didn't sit right with him. Since when did he ever need to string Kagome along about anything? It seemed…it felt…wrong, underhanded and a little more than just vile.

He groaned, his head falling back and his eyes closing. He hadn't meant for this shit to happen. Less than 48 hours ago, he wasn't even certain if he wanted this relationship to continue, he wasn't certain of anything, and now…

He felt as if he was just told that he was a father of a five year-old and he couldn't remember for the life of him how or when it had happened. In a way, he supposed, part of him felt stunned.

He'd contemplated acting even to himself as if it was all a dream, but only foolish people did that, right? Seriously, is there really any truth to that saying, _believe in your lies long enough and they will become true? _The hanyou figured that there probably wasn't, because regardless of when you told that lie-be it an hour ago or ten years ago-it was still a lie, wasn't it?

_What a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive, _he told himself, imagining his mother staring down at him with a disappointed scowl on her beautiful round shaped face. _No, ignoring it won't solve a…damn…thing._

His thoughts were interrupted at the sound of his front door being opened. Inuyasha glanced at it and sniffed. He set up in the seat stilling himself as her soft voice whispered through the room, "Lover, where are you? Are you up? We were going down to breakfast and wanted to see-"

"Out here," he called over his shoulder to Rin, but he didn't move from his spot. He could feel something wicked stirring inside, but nowhere near as bad as the day before.

_Aw, shit! Not this again_, he told himself, but quickly realized as she stepped through the door and placed her hand on his shoulder that it actually didn't get any worse. It was just a dull discomfort that was somehow informing him-he knew-that this wasn't his mate.

As if he really needed some kind of reminder.

He totally understood that now. Now that he'd claimed Kagome, he could tolerate Rin and maybe other women, but none of them would be able to get him to the point where he'd ever want to do something sexual with them. At least, that's what he would've liked to believe.

Rin hugged him tightly from behind, and Inuyasha raised his arms so that he could pat her back as he tilted his head up and kissed her forehead. There was a low growl in his head, and he hissed silently, _Shut the fuck up, Bitch. I know it ain't her._

Thinking back, that was the first time that his blood had made any sound that he could remember since he'd gotten to Kagome's house the night before. _Bitch, you wanted her? You wanted Kagome. _It was all making sense now. All the times that he heard the whisper, _mine, _when he was around Kagome. It was telling him that she was his mate. _Why the fuck didn't you just tell me, idiot?_

All that shit that Totosai had said still wasn't making any sense, but he was totally developing a new respect for the red eyed beast inside him that he'd started calling sometime during the night, _Bitch. _

His choice of names for the creature had nothing to do with its sex, which was of course male since it was a part of him, but it had everything to do with the fact that the beast nagged just like a bitch would.

Bitch growled, and the hanyou chuckled to himself as he felt Rin run her nails across his shoulder while walking slowly around the chair so that she was standing in front him.

The hanyou leaned forward. Grabbing Rin's waist, he pulled her to him so that she was standing between his legs and little too close for this to appear innocent.

"Lover, what are you doing?" Rin asked urgently while trying to twist out of his arms.

Bitch snarled, _"Not Mine!"_

The hanyou laughed and released Rin. "Just checking," he said to both of them, but Rin thought he was only talking to her.

"Just checking what?" Rin snapped while stepping back away from him.

"Something," the hanyou retorted. "Come sit on my lap?"

"What? Have you lost your mind?" Rin queried as she took another step back away from him.

"No, just do it. I'm testing something," Inuyasha told her, patting his lap. "Come on; it'll be quick."

Rin looked at him skeptically and he tried to keep from grinning so she wouldn't feel too disturbed, but he just couldn't. This was just too interesting. It appeared to him that his youkai blood definitely had a voice, but only when it came to Kagome or something involving Kagome.

It appeared that Rin wasn't going to comply, so Inuyasha stood to his feet and stepped towards her. Holding out his arms, he said softly, "I'm sorry if I scared you. I really didn't mean to. Can I have a hug?"

Rin looked him up and down quickly before she smiled and stepped towards him slowly, her arms snaking around his waist. Inuyasha pulled her close, squeezed her to his chest and inhaled the scent of her hair. The discomfort was there; it was almost like an upset stomach or a dull headache that stood right outside of what would constitute pain. The longer he held onto to Rin, the stronger the discomfort grew until all he could feel was his stomach churning, his head throbbing and hear Bitch's snarls of incoherent threats.

Pushing Rin back, he shook his head and smiled down at her. "Thanks, Wench, I needed that," he said to Rin, and to Bitch,_ Alright, alright shut up. I'm letting her go, asshole._

Bitch growled back huskily, _"Ass…hole."_

The hanyou chuckled as he sat back down in his seat and pointed at one of the other chairs for Rin to sit in. It seemed to him, and he wasn't the smartest nail in the draw by any means, but it seemed like Bitch wasn't really as dumb as he first thought he was. He definitely wasn't a figment of his imagination and he definitely held some kind of control over his emotions. Maybe he couldn't hold a full conversation, but he could speak and it seemed like he could learn. After all, he had just called him an Asshole, hadn't he?

"You're acting pretty strange. Are you still not feeling well?" Rin questioned, cutting into his thoughts.

The hanyou smiled at her, pushing his thoughts of Bitch to the back of his mind. "I'm fine, just trying to figure out some stuff."

"Need some help?"

"Nah, I got it," he told her as he settled back in his chair. He ran his hands down his face, over his black wife beater, and then slipped them under his shirt pulling it up so that he was rubbing his flat perfect stomach.

"I came and checked on you last-" she started, but stopped as she glanced down at his stomach. She pitched forward. "What happened to you?" she growled, lifting the shirt up and running her hand over his stomach.

The hanyou pushed her hand away quickly, not really sure why he felt like she was seriously overstepping her bounds at that moment. Maybe it was because that was somewhat of an intimate place, as it was close to his lower abdomen, or maybe it was because Bitch had started that growling shit again. "Sorry," he mumbled quickly as he eyed the five red fading scratches that he'd seen when he'd gotten out of the shower, "That, it's nothing."

"It doesn't look like nothing. It looks like someone was trying to claw you in half," Rin replied curtly.

The hanyou glanced at her, and then looked away. He remembered exactly when and how he'd gotten them and he'd enjoyed every fucking minute of it too. "Well Rin, shit happens sometimes."

"But Lover," she started, "Are those-" Her eyes grew wide. "You didn't! You better not have cheated on Kagome! I swear to the heavens, I love you, but I'll beat you to within an inch of your life if you left here last night and went and screwed some cheap harlot!" She stood quickly, and stomped towards him.

Holding up his hands, Inuyasha pushed back away from her, the chair sliding across the floor. "No, I didn't cheat on her, Rin! Just calm down, it's not what you think!"

She was still coming at him. "Well what the hell is it then?" she questioned angrily while leaning forward and grabbing one of his ears between her right finger and thumb. "If you cheated on her, I swear…" She growled, twisting the ear roughly.

Inuyasha pushed back further while grabbing her hand and trying to remember to be gentle; she was Rin, and she was human. If he drew her blood, Sesshomaru would have his ass for breakfast. "Fuck, Rin, stop! I didn't cheat! Kagome did that shit! Damn, let fucking go of my ear!"

Rin let go and stepped back, scowling down at him. "Kagome did that? You went and saw her last night?"

The hanyou almost snarled at her, he was so pissed. He hated when people were rough with his ears not that anyone _else_ was, and he was pissed because Bitch was pissed, which meant that at the moment he felt like fucking hurling.

"Yes, damn it!" he growled.

Rin stepped back thumbing her chin. "Oh, really?" A slow smile spreading over her confused face, she continued, "She can scratch you like that and leave marks?"

"Shit you saw it, right? It'll be gone in a few hours no big deal."

"I can't scratch Sesshomaru like that. My nails always break."

"Yeah, well I'm half human, Rin. You need to remember that the next time you pinch something on me, or I'll forget who you are and pinch you right fucking back!" He didn't mean for that to come out as threatening as it did, but he was pissed off. His ear was throbbing, Bitch was snarling, and he honestly didn't feel like explaining himself to her.

She half smiled at him and shuffled quickly towards him. "I'm sorry. You know how I feel about cheaters though. I can't stand them, and I kind of like Kagome."

He wanted to stay mad at her, but if she thought she was taking up for Kagome, how could he be? "Yeah, well I kind of like her too. I'm not just going to go ch-" the hotel phone ringing cut him off and he pushed to his feet stomping around her and towards it, but Rin was faster.

"Hello?" she sang into the receiver.

"Who's this?" she asked a second later and smiled as she winked at him. "Well, I don't know if he's up. He's a little worn out. Oh, wait he's in the shower. Hold on I'll see if he wants to talk you."

Inuyasha growled at her, knowing that she couldn't be talking to anyone but Kagome and definitely trying to give her the pretense that he had some strange woman in his room.

Snatching the phone out of her hand before she could do anymore damage, he spun on his heels and sat down on the couch. "What's up, Babe? You finally up?"

"Who was that?" Kagome questioned after a long moment, her voice telling him that she'd just rolled over and found his note.

"Why, you jealous?" he retorted, knowing that the last thing he should be doing right now is feeding her green dragon.

He was about to apologize, when she snapped seriously, "I'll be there in 15 minutes, and she better be there, Inuyasha or it's your ass!" The phone went dead in his ear and he sat there staring at it for a moment before he actually broke out in a bout of laughter.

The woman was so fucking jealous that it was almost ridiculous. Seriously, did she think he was some kind of sex addict? Did she really thinking that he was capable of fucking the hell out of her, and then 3 hours later just going to pick up some floozy and fuck her too?

"Psychotic," the hanyou mumbled as he put the phone back on the cradle.

Rin stood to her feet as if she was getting ready to leave, but Inuyasha stopped her dead in her tracks. "Like hell you're leaving. Kagome told me to keep my bitch here until she gets here, so plant yourself."

"I have to go feed Takira and Gage!"

"Bullshit! Sesshomaru will bring them over when they wake up."

"Lover?"

"Yeah, you might want to stop that pet name calling to. Kagome is more than a little possessive nowadays."

"What?" Rin questioned incredulously. "I will not! That's our thing that we do. We know it's innocent. If my mate doesn't have a problem with it, why should she? She's not even family! She can deal with it, or she can leave!"

Inuyasha caught the growl that was coming and shook his head, reminding himself that this was Rin. She was the matriarch of his family and she didn't know that he'd already claimed Kagome. Sitting back on the couch, he shrugged his shoulders. "Do you really think, Sesshomaru is okay with that? He tolerates it because he knows it makes you happy, and I let you do it because I know it pisses him off." The truth was a salty thing, but he figured it was best that he get it over now.

Rin stared at him for a long moment before she stepped back around the couch and sat down across from him since there was no room on the couch he was sitting on, because he was stretched out, his arms bent behind his head.

"You're not letting her change you, are you? I'm still number one, right?"

Inuyasha looked at her understanding exactly what she was asking. She'd been the only woman in both his and Sesshomaru's life for so long, it was kind of hard to watch another woman that actually had her same potential come into the picture and stir things up. She knew Kagome wasn't like Kikyo, and she knew that Kagome had even won Sesshomaru over, so what she was basically asking was where this left her in his life.

"Don't tell me you're jealous?" the hanyou queried, glancing over at her.

"Of course not, but I like being the only woman in both of your lives. I mean is this serious with you and Kagome? Should I be worried?"

The hanyou looked at her for a long moment before he spoke. "Yeah, it's serious between Kagome and me, but you don't need to worry about anything. You'll always be Sesshomaru's first, trust me."

"But not yours?" she replied sullenly a frown on her face. Gods, he hated when she looked like that, he really hated it, but the truth was the truth.

"Rin?"

She fanned her hand dismissively and blinked a few times as if fighting tears. "I know…I know, I'm just being silly. This is stupid. I'm your sister-in-law. I'm married and happily mated to your brother, which is something that I wouldn't change for all of the heavens and the earth. I really shouldn't be acting like this right now."

He could see it in her eyes; she wasn't just being silly. She was actually unnerved that she was no longer the only woman in his life that he trusted and could turn to. Maybe it wasn't even about that; perhaps she didn't like the idea that she would no longer get to make all the decisions about family vacations, and family portraits, and Sunday dinners.

He knew she didn't mean anything by it. After all, it was just human nature, right?

They sat in silence for a long moment each lost in their own thoughts before there was a loud knocking at the door and he jumped and went for it.

_No fucking way, what did she did fly over here?_

Pulling it open, he grinned as he stared down at Kagome and wondered if she'd actually stopped long enough to wash her face or brush her teeth. She was standing there with her arms crossed over her chest, her hair up in a messy ponytail, a pair of oversized sweat pants on, and a t-shirt that read _Damned if Do _across the front. As she pushed him aside and stomped into his suite, he noticed it read _Damned if I Don't _across the back.

"So, I don't get a kiss good morning," he asked her while closing the door.

She spun on him. "Where is she?"

"Who?"

She poked him in the center of his chest. "That bitch that answered the phone when I called! Where the hell is she, Takahashi?"

Inuyasha stepped closer, scooped her up in his arms, and pulled her to his chest. Carrying her up the long hallway, he intoned, "You know something, you're absolutely nuts. I think the longer we're together the crazier you're getting."

Kagome glared down at him as he turned a corner that opened into a massive room with a huge king size bed that didn't look like it had even been slept it in. She slapped at his shoulders and his arms. "Put me down, Takahashi! You must be out of your mind if you think for one instant that I'm going to have sex with you, when you just had some bitch in here!"

He laughed and sat her down in front of him. Leaning against the door jam of the room, he quipped, "Fine, have it your way, but you are going to apologize to me later."

She glared at him and hissed, "I'll apologize right before I throw dirt on your decaying carcass!"

He chuckled and followed her back into the room where he'd left Rin. She stopped short and he stepped up behind her, slipping his arms around her waist and pulling her back so that she was flush against him. The closeness of her body to his, the leftover scent of their lovemaking that was stuck as if embedded in every pore of her skin and buried in the roots of her hair lulled him. A low growl slipped from his lips as he inhaled deeply and allowed his body the melt around her.

He swore he could hear Bitch purring.

Inuyasha refocused, leaning in to kiss her on the side of her neck as she stared openmouthed at Rin. "Meet my bitch. I told her not to play with you like that because you're nuts, but she didn't listen."

"Hello," the girlfriend snapped quickly before turning to him, her face beet red, and her eyes enraged with humiliation and anger.

He tried not to laugh. He seriously did, but the look of mortification that was riddled there was just too priceless. He just wished he had his cell phone to capture the moment.

She pushed passed him, stomping back towards the door and he stopped her, pulling her back towards him. "Where you going, Wench?"

"Leave me alone," she growled heatedly, trying desperately to push him away. "You're always making a fool of me! I'm…I'm…" She growled and glared at him. "I wish I could just tell you it was over and mean it!" she snapped while turning and stomping towards the door again.

Positioning himself between her and the door, he crossed his hands over his chest and stated wryly, "Yeah, that's just not going to happen."

She growled at him again and tried to shove him aside, but he didn't budge. If she thought that he was actually going to let her go home now that he had her there, she was seriously mistaken. Besides, he was bone fucking tired and he always slept better with her next time him.

Moving so quick that he knew she hadn't seen it coming, he scooped her up and tossed her over his shoulder before starting towards the bedroom.

Her fists pounded against his back as she hissed, "Put me down, baka! You could've told me that was Rin! Put me down, I'm going home!"

"Now what would have been the fun in that?" he questioned, stepping through the double doors and taking his time to kick one then the other closed behind them.

Stepping up to the foot of the bed, he dropped her in the center of the bed and reached down to pull off his tank top as she stared up at him, her nostrils flaring wide, her jaw clenched menacingly.

"You must be out of your everlasting mind, Takahashi!"

"Show yourself out, Rin," he called without taking his eyes off of his secret mate as she pushed back away from him slowly, crawling backwards towards the head of the bed. A low warning growl slipped from the back of his throat as he reached down and unfastened his belt buckle.

She shook her head as if for a moment she couldn't think, and then ground out, her voice losing most of the venom it previously held, "You're crazy if you think even for a minute that I'm going to let you anywhere near me!"

He chuckled as he heard a light tap on the door followed by, "Nice to see you again Kagome. Maybe when you two are done we can go to the mall or something."

"Bye, Rin," Inuyasha said just loud enough for her to hear him as he leaned forward catching the leg of the sweat pants and yanking them off of Kagome.

"Idiot, this could be rape, you know," Kagome snapped while picking up a pillow and throwing it roughly at his face.

He swatted it away and decided that if it was something harder, he probably would've been a little upset by that. "It could, but you'll give in before it gets that far."

She growled and rolled away from him, but he caught her and rolled her right back so that he was leaning partly between her legs. "You're an arrogant jerk!"

"Only for you," Takahashi quipped leaning down and lightly kissing her.

She growled into his mouth and refused to kiss him back as she pushed at his muscled chest.

"You know it's really not my fault," he told her, "You just assume, because you don't trust me, that I'm always up to no good. I haven't done anything to warrant such mistrust, but yet you still refuse to trust me."

She seemed to think about that for a long moment before she rolled her eyes and groaned as her body slowly began to relax under him. "I hate you," she mumbled quietly.

"Hate is such a strong word, Kagome. Are you sure you want to continue to use that as a sign of affection for me?" he questioned seriously, his breath misting over her flushed face.

She had no response.

He stared down at her beautiful face, brushed a few dark strands of errant hair from her cheeks and kissed her forehead, before he pushed back off of her so that he was standing. He stepped away from her completely and around to the side of the bed as he worked the zipper of his jeans and quickly stepped out of them so that he wearing nothing but his boxer briefs.

He glanced at her and noticed that her eyes were definitely trained on his every move, but he didn't comment as he stripped back the covers on the bed and climbed in. He realized as he laid back, his head sinking into the oversized plush pillows that this woman that Bitch and himself had chosen was taxing on his energy. She was literally draining him. It wasn't bad, not really, but damn it was leaving him tired as shit. All the thinking and decision making, and deceptions… He was fucking exhausted.

He sighed contentedly as his eyes started to close. "Come here," he whispered holding out a hand to her.

After a moment, he felt the bed shift and the sheets pull back next to him, and she was there, right beside him, her head in the groove of his shoulder, her body pressed firmly against his as if he was her only connection to this world. He yawned thickly and rolled towards her, curling around her.

"I…I don't hate you," she whispered softly.

"Sure, sure, I know," he retorted quietly.

"Inuyasha, I'm-"

"Forget about it," he told her softly, cutting her off. "You're here, I can finally get some sleep, and that's all that matters."

Her lips were on his, and he sighed into them and kissed her back chastely before he buried his head in the side of the pillow that they were sharing even though they didn't have to and mumbled, "You know, you better be glad I love you, because your seriously nuts. I think…" he yawned, his voice growing more lethargic by the second, "…if I were to marry you, I could probably check you into a mental asylum and get a check for you. At the very least, I think I could talk your mom into doing it for me."

The last thing he felt was a playful love slap against his bare chest moments before she snuggled deeper against him and kissed the underside of his chin.

_**

* * *

**_

Simonkal of Inuy

* * *

Hushed voices, a loud thump and then another one roused her from her peaceful slumber. She pushed up, the duvet falling from her body. She glanced around the nicely decorated room and knew immediately that she was in Inuyasha's hotel room, but he wasn't in bed with her.

She looked towards the bathroom, the light was off. She then glanced towards the windows, it was still daylight outside. She yawned and tried to shake the fog off that had fallen over her while she was sleeping.

Another thump echoed from the living room and she pushed slowly to her feet and started towards the door, but stopped when she heard a male voice hiss, "You're a complete jackass! How could you do something like this? What the hell were you thinking?"

She heard Inuyasha whisper something, but she couldn't make out a thing he was saying before the other voice that she realized had to be Sesshomaru, snapped, "I didn't tell you that so you could just go out there and do it, dumb ass! What are you going to do if…?" she couldn't make out the rest of that sentence and didn't have time to as Inuyasha intoned as if bored, "I'll deal with that when it happens."

A vicious growl ripped from Sesshomaru, and she shuddered while stepping back away from the door until she bumped into the foot of the bed. "I had no idea just how suicidal you were, Inuyasha! If you wanted to die you should've just told me! I would've been happy to oblige you, but you didn't have to do this!!"

She couldn't ever remember Sesshomaru losing his temper or using curse words, but whatever it was that he and Inuyasha were arguing about now, had him more than livid. She couldn't help but wonder what it was all about.

If she asked him, would he tell her? She decided the answer to that question would probably be, no, not if he thought that it would upset her. And if it upset Sesshomaru like this, then more than likely it would upset her even more. No, he wasn't going to tell her anything.

She cut her thoughts off quickly when she heard Inuyasha speak, his voice stern but not angry, more resigned than she could ever remember it being, "I didn't have a choice. You think I actually wanted to do it like that? Hell no, but I couldn't stop myself."

"What if it was a mistake?" she heard Sesshomaru growl.

"It wasn't a fucking mistake! Even if it was," Inuyasha countered showing just a little doubt on their secretive subject, "I don't fucking regret it and if I die because of it, it will be the one good thing that I've done in this life! So, leave it alone; it was my decision to make and I made it!"

There was a few minutes of silence and she heard Sesshomaru huff, his tone annoyed, "Father and your mother must be rolling in their graves!"

Inuyasha mumbled something else, but she didn't catch it before Sesshomaru spoke again, his voice low and serious, "This is just as, if not stupider than what you did with-"

Inuyasha cut him off quickly, roaring his tone angry, "Don't you fucking say it, you bastard! This is different! This…is…fucking different! Deal with it or don't deal with it! It's fucking done, and it can't be undone!"

_What the hell is going on, _she thought frantically. Kagome knew they argued, but she couldn't say that she'd ever heard such fierceness in Inuyasha's tone before. _What are they arguing about? _

They were quiet for awhile and Kagome could imagine the two of them standing toe to toe staring each other down waiting for the other to submit. She wanted to laugh at that, because she knew neither one of those bull headed idiots would ever back down.

"You have to tell…," Sesshomaru growled, his tone lower more resigned, but once again she missed the rest of the statement.

"I know. I fucking know," Inuyasha retorted exasperatedly, and then there was silence as if both of them had turned into stone statues or rather disappeared from the room.

She sat quietly for a moment longer, before she slowly pushed to her feet and started towards the bathroom.

What was he keeping from her? What or rather who did he need to tell something too? Were they talking about her or were they talking about someone else? What had Inuyasha done that would make Sesshomaru that enraged with him, and what is it that Inuyasha felt like he didn't have a choice in doing?

He always had a choice, everyone always had a choice. What had he done and why was it that they spoke about it like it couldn't be undone? Had he cheated…

_No, no don't think like that, _she told herself, hating that that was always the first place she went to. But even if he had, Sesshomaru would have no reason to be upset with him about it. _No, that can't be it. But Sesshomaru did say that he had to tell somebody something. Tell who? Tell who what? Me? No, it can't be me, because Sesshomaru doesn't care about me enough to care one way or the other._

She turned the water on in the shower, and stripped out of her panties and shirt. She stunk, literally stunk of cum, musk, and sex and wondered for the briefest of seconds exactly how the hell Inuyasha was able to lay so close to her with his sensitive nose. He had to smell her and feel like gagging because her nose was nowhere near as sensitive as his and she sure felt like it.

Stepping under the water, she allowed her mind to wonder back to Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's argument. _Should I be worried? Should I ask him about it? Can I make him tell me the truth? Do I want to know the truth? Does it matter? Would it matter?_

45 minutes later, she stepped out of the shower, her hair dripping wet and her body feeling squeaky clean and refreshed. She was a little shocked because she'd half expected him to at least stick his head in the bathroom at her, but he hadn't.

She'd also tried to figure out what they were talking about, but decided halfway into her shower that if it was important enough, he'd tell her about it, and if he didn't then it wasn't important enough for her to know about. She knew that was a crap shit way of pushing it off, but she was happy for now and she didn't want to stir anything up that would ruin it.

_What was that saying? _she thought as she wrapped one of the big fluffy towels around her body and then reached for another one for her hair. _I think it went something like, look for trouble and you'll find it. Something like that, _she deduced pulling the door to the bathroom open and stepping back into the bedroom.

She'd thought that he'd be there waiting on her, but he wasn't there either. Instead, he had obviously come in and laid out a pair of hotel issued sweat pants that were exactly her size, and a matching cotton, short sleeved, t-shirt that read _Don't Touch _across the front.

She smiled down at the clothes, and then glanced at the clock that red 4:43 in the afternoon. _Damn, mom is going to kill me. _Making quick work of dropping the towel to the floor, she pulled on the panties that she'd discarded earlier, and then quickly dressed in the attire he'd obviously purchased from the gift store downstairs.

Kagome glanced around the room looking for a brush or comb or something, but found nothing. She groaned reaching up to remove the towel. Shaking her mane out, she started out the bedroom, her hand running through her wet hair finger combing out the snarls.

As soon as she stepped into the living room of the suite she saw him sitting on the balcony, his tank top clad back to her, the same jeans on that he'd discarded earlier that day and his feet still bare. He was leaning forward, his elbows balanced on his knees, and his head down as if he was seriously thinking about something. His hair was disheveled as if he'd been pulling at it, but it didn't take away from the picturesque feel his image gave her.

She stepped towards him as if he was a flame and she was the moth. There was no rational behind it, none. She just needed to be close to him, with him. There was something bothering him, something that he probably wouldn't tell her about, but she'd still let him know that she was there.

Kagome stepped through the glass doors and he looked back at her, his eyes sad, but his lips turned up in a smile as he reached back, pulling her to him.

She settled on his lap, one hand slipping around his shoulders, as she turned the top half of her torso around to face him. Her eyes searched his face slowly, looking for anything, an answer, a question, something that would tell her how she could fix this for him.

He stared back at her, his trade mark smirk in place, but there was something hidden behind it, dulling the arrogance of it all, and she closed her eyes and sighed as she allowing her forehead to fall softly against his. Her lips dipped in, brushed against his and she whispered, "I still love you, you know?"

He snorted and pulled her closer, but didn't respond as he leaned in and kissed her back, deepening the kiss slightly. There was passion there, but it wasn't raw. There was lust, but it wasn't rancid. There was need, but it wasn't desperate. And there was love, and it was raw and vibrant, and telling, and as she turned more fully to him slipping her other arm around his shoulder she understood that he was telling her that he still loved her too.

Kagome pulled back and stared down at him. "Are you okay?"

He nodded. "Why wouldn't I be?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, but decided that she wouldn't challenge him. "I was just wondering. I thought you would've joined me in the shower, but you didn't. Then I come out here and you're sitting out here all by yourself."

He nodded his head in understanding, and replied as he pulled her against him so that they were both staring out at the view, "I figured that after last night you'd want to have the shower to yourself, not to mention, I don't really have any condoms."

She giggled, her cheeks turning rosy. Settling back against his chest, she reached down and took his hand in hers. She played with the claws, drew circles in the center of his hand, and interlaced her fingers with his. "Takahashi, can I ask you a question?"

His free hand ran across her belly creating an influx of invisible butterflies and she squirmed, her muscles jerking under his touch. "Sure."

She swallowed hard, not really knowing why this had even popped into her head. Maybe it had something to do with the whole not being able to have sex without condoms thing, or maybe it was because she'd admitted to him and to herself that she was in love with him. She didn't know which, but she just felt like they needed to talk about it. "How…" She swallowed and closed her eyes, relaxing back against him, her head falling onto his shoulder so that she was staring up at the sky. "How will you know?"

"How will I know what?" he questioned huskily, she could feel him staring at her out the side of his eye.

"How will you know when you find her? Your mate, the one... How will you know?"

"Kagome-"

She cut him off, thinking he was thinking that she'd get upset if he told her the truth, "I won't get mad or upset or anything. I just want to know." He didn't say anything, so she went on, "I know that you can't just choose one out of the blue, right? So how will you know?"

His arms tightened around her waist as if he thought she was going to jump up and run and she inhaled sinking deeper into him. Still, he didn't say anything, so she talked, "I think when you find her… I think when you find her, you shouldn't tell me. I think…I think if you did…" She blinked at the pain that coursed through her at just the thought that he'd be holding someone else like this one day, just the thought that he wouldn't be hers. "I think you should just disappear, because if I knew…" She frowned to herself and bit down on her lower lip saddened by her own thoughts.

"What would you do? If I found her and I told you, I mean. What would you do?" he questioned impassively.

"I would probably do something really stupid like take a hit out on her, or run her down with my car," she said without thinking about it. "I mean, it hurt when Kouga found his mate, but that was bearable, you know? I don't know why, but I don't think it would be the same for me if it was you. Just the thought…" She shivered against him, driving her point home. "I'm really sounding crazy, aren't I?"

"No, not at all," he said.

She leaned up and turned so that she was looking him directly in the face. It looked like he wanted to say something, but he couldn't or either he didn't know how to so she whispered, "This is really going to hurt, isn't it?"

"It doesn't have to. I mean you could leave me now and be done with it."

"Is that what you want?"

"Do you think that's what I want?"

She growled. "Answer the question, Takahashi!"

He leaned in and kissed her sweetly as he whispered, "If you tried, I'd hunt you down, you do know that, right? No matter where you go, I'd find you and I'd drag you back by the roots of your hair."

Okay that sounded just a little psychotic, but it still made her feel that much better. "But when you find your mate, you won't have a choice."

He shrugged as if it was no big deal. "I'll kill her for you."

"Inuyasha, you can't!"

"You just basically said _you_ would. Why can't I just do it for you?"

"Because, idiot, she's your mate. It would probably kill you or something." She thought that over, and then finished softly, "Even if you're not with me, I don't want anything to happen to you."

He laughed then as if he knew something she didn't and pulled her back to him so that she was laying against him. "What brought this topic up, Wench?"

"I don't know. I guess I've just been thinking about it on and off since we started dating," she began, "After what I said to you last night and what you said back, I think it's only fair that we be as open with this as possible." She was quiet for a long moment as if cogitating over something before she continued, "I know you said that you loved me and I don't doubt that, but I know that there is something stronger out there that's going to pull you away from me one day, and regardless of how much I beg and plead…regardless of how much you think you love me, you'll still leave me."

She sighed, unable to believe that she was being this open with him about her feelings. Had something happened in the past few days that she didn't know about? Had something caused this change? She didn't know, but she liked it.

She felt so much closer to him, like she could feel his heart beating in tune with her own. In that same instance, it felt like no matter how close she was to him, he was never close enough. Not only that, but she felt like he was hers to claim like a priceless ancient relic. Every part of her body, her mind, her heart was telling her that he was hers and she wanted to scream it in his face to make him understand that this was it!

"Oi, wench, you okay?" he asked cutting into her thoughts.

She blinked. "Yeah, why?"

"Because you're grinding your teeth like you're mad about something," he responded, "Whatever it was, I didn't do it," he finished with a chuckle.

She rolled her eyes, but relaxed back against him and smiled at the sky above. The silence lengthened between them, but it felt nice.

"I've never felt like this before. Not with anyone," he declared softly breaking the silence. His arms tightened around her as he continued, "It's nice; I like it." He leaned in and kissed her cheek, and then finished, "I think if it was with anyone else, it wouldn't feel so…right."

"I think you just said a whole mouth full, Takahashi," Kagome intoned contentedly, trying to ignore the setting sun. She had to get home to at the very least drop her mom's car off, but she just didn't want to leave him.

"You drove your mom's car over here, right?" he questioned, damn near reading her mind.

"Yeah, why?" she questioned curiously.

"She called while you were sleeping; I think she needs it."

Standing up slowly, she stretched her arms over her head and yawned widely. "I guess I should get ready to go then."

He stood up as well. "I'll follow you in the rental. You need to grab something to wear out tonight and some clothes for tomorrow," he told her, slipping his arm around her waist and pulling her back against him.

"Tonight? What are we doing?"

"We have a date," Takahashi stated after turning her so that she was looking at him.

"A date?"

"Yeah, with Rin and Sesshomaru, dinner and dancing or some bullshit like that. Trust me; it wasn't Sesshomaru's idea or mine."

She laughed and tipped up on her toes to kiss his chin as she intoned with a big grin, "I didn't think that it was, but if you're okay with it, I guess I am. Besides, I love date night."

"Yeah, I figured you would," he replied with a grin of his own as he released her only to catch hold of her hand and pull her towards the glass doors.

Kagome followed him obediently, a content smile on her face as she watched the muscles move under his skin like liquid venom to and fro, dangerous and alluring, whispering warnings that she knew she didn't have the strength to heed, while promising her the future of any young girls' dreams.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew it didn't make sense that she could have reservations about giving her heart away one day, and then the next not know the meaning of the word reservations where he was concerned. But he, Takahashi Inuyasha, was no ordinary man.

From the moment he entered her life, everything…everything that she'd once believed…once thought stopped making sense.

She realized in that moment that she didn't care if her life ever made sense again as long as she had him…as long as he never left her. She would walk in this haze. She would follow him if he asked her to, and she would walk beside him if that's where he wanted her, but she would not leave him, not for anyone. Not even to save herself.

He was her _Joe Black. _He was her beginning and her end, her salvation.

She loved him, totally, fully and without limitations…she loved him.

**Until Next Time… **(More fluff to come!! Your .02 cents are appreciated!!)

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**Next Chapter**: Inexcusable

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**A/A/N:** If you're still wondering about whether Kagome knows about the whole condom thing, no, she doesn't. She just trusts him to have used one, because he was so adamant about it before. Besides, her mind was in such an erotic haze last chapter, she truthfully didn't know whether she was going or coming-no pun intended. Oh, and the questions about the origination of the Spinx, well that's mines as far as I'm concerned. The stories that I read have him biting her, doing a blood transfusion, or a bunch of other bull-crap that's just played out, so I wanted something more original and with a refreshing twist. Anyway, it's mine! That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!

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**Acknowledgements**: (All others have been sent PM's)

**Tazzy**: Thanks so much for your wonderful review; I'm so glad that you enjoyed the lechery!!

**Jin**: Isn't Inuyasha always nice to her? (lol) Thanks for your review, I hope this chapter did not disappoint!!

**Chinochan**-**Inulover**: Can't they? (lol) Thanks for your review, my friend!!

**Annon**: No need to thank me for mentioning you, I respond to all of my reviewers in one or the other. I will admit that you had a lot of insightful remarks in your review; I love those!! Thanks for reviewing, my friend!!

**Locusflower**: I'm so glad I could do that for you!! Thanks for your wonderful review!!

**Inusoul**: Thank you so much for your review and I'm so glad you read the chapter instead of bypassing it because your imagination was running away from you (lol). Thanks!!


	56. Inexcusble

**A/N:** As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness!! No excuses this go round, I've just been busy working on a special project. Anyway, thanks for your continued support and patience, it is much appreciated. Oh, and this fic was nominated for Best Action/Adventure and Best Lemon with the Guild, thanks guys!! That said, if you haven't voted, you're just wrong…lol. Finally, and certainly not least, a special thanks to my beautiful beta, Neko, for putting up with me. I really do suck, believe it or not!!

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**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, Nola, Dinshu, Dr. Aikio, Maki, and Moki. All others belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

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**Chapter 56:**

**Inexcusable**

If there was ever one time in his life that he wished he wasn't a demon, it was definitely now.

Sesshomaru pressed the button to roll down the window on the silver Infinite. He only wanted the car to air out just a little, but all the fresh air seemed to do was throw her scent around the car more forcibly.

He would've growled, and ripped into the leather interior of the car if he was a lesser youkai, but he wasn't. He'd make do for now, even if it entailed holding his breath from time to time. Besides, they'd be arriving at their destination shortly, right?

He laid his head back against the headrest searching through the surrounding scents for his mate's, but his brother's mate's scent was so fucking strong; it overpowered Rin's almost to the point that he'd found himself wanting to glance over his shoulder to make sure that she was still there.

He wanted to tell Inuyasha to pull over and that he and Rin would catch a cab from here, but he figured that Rin would want to know why and he really didn't have any desire to explain this to her or to anyone else, for that matter.

He allowed his head to roll lethargically towards the open window and closed his eyes. He would think of something else, anything else and he'd survive this, because he was Takahashi Sesshomaru.

When he'd first found out what his idiotic brother had done, the full demon had been so mad that he'd actually contemplated-not for the first time-killing him himself. It was stupid and something that only lowly breeds did because they didn't know any better, but Inuyasha, he knew better.

He'd also thought about forcing him to tell her what he'd done, or telling her himself, but after thinking about that, he'd decided that this was without a doubt his brother's bed and he'd have to be made to lay in it regardless of the outcome.

Pushing those thoughts to the side as he heard his mate's soft voice whisper to Kagome, "You should come with us tomorrow."

_Maybe if the idiot had done it the right way, but even if she is his mate in blood, she has not accepted him or us._

"Tomorrow?" Kagome questioned softly.

"Yeah, we're going to have our family portrait painted," his mate told her, "We do it whenever something special happens in the family."

Sesshomaru noticed the silence that fell in the car before Higurashi replied, her voice trying desperately to keep whatever she was truly feeling hidden, "That sounds like fun, Rin, but that's for family. I think you guys should do that on your own."

"Well, I think we could make an exception this once."

"Rin, I don't think it would be a good idea. Besides, I have plans tomorrow anyway," Higurashi told her politely as if she thought she was hurting her feelings.

"But-" his mate started.

Sesshomaru knew when Rin wanted something bad enough, she'd never let it go, so he interjected impassively, "Rin, perhaps Higurashi is right. This is a family only outing." Glancing at Inuyasha quickly, he finished, "Isn't that right, half-breed?"

"Shut up the fuck up," the hanyou hissed, his eyed trained on the reflection of Higurashi, Sesshomaru noticed. "If she wants to come; it's up to her, but no one in this car is going to tell her that she can't."

The car became extremely quiet then and the full demon went back to his private musings of idiotic half-breed brothers, mates that tried too hard, and a human woman who's scent was really starting to give him a migraine.

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

Kagome couldn't describe the relief that fell over her the moment that Inuyasha pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant and parked in front of the valet stand.

She reached for the door to push it open, but stopped when a young guy about the age of her brother beat her to it. He pulled the door open and stepped back allowing her room to climb out of the car, and she smiled at him thankfully while paying little attention to her companions that were still in the car.

Stepping around the car as the young man shut the door she'd just exited, Kagome spared a glance at the back tinted window of the car and noticed that Inuyasha was turned in his seat, his face set in a scowl. He was saying something to Rin, but whatever it was it must not have been that serious because Rin was smiling and fanning her hand in a dismissive manner in his direction.

Tearing her gaze away from them, she turned her attention to the people around her and scanned the front of the restaurant quickly. Not paying attention to where she was going, she missed the step up to the sidewalk and stumbled forward.

Kagome closed her eyes and braced herself for the fast approaching concrete, but it never came. Instead strong arms grabbed her and pulled her into a hard chest. Her heart was racing, beating with the pulse of hundred men, her head swimming from embarrassment and sheer adrenaline.

_Of all the times to trip and fall, _she griped silently.

Her eyes opened slowly as her head tilted upward and she jumped back away from the youkai that wasn't Inuyasha nor Sesshomaru, not that she expected either of them since they were still in the car.

The guy smiled down at her, his toothy grin bringing back so many memories that she forgot for a moment who she was with and why she was there.

"Hakkaku!" she shouted, flinging herself into his arms, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck.

His arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her to him briefly before he leaned back and stared down at her. "Wow, I see you're just as clumsy as ever."

Kagome blushed and looked away from him and around at the other people gathered around them that were now looking at her. Of all the people that she figured she could run into tonight, he had not been on her list.

Turning her attention back to him, she immediately noticed that there was a sadness in his eyes that his smile couldn't quite hide. Not only that, but he looked downright exhausted. No, it was more than that. He looked like a beaten dog that was just going through the motions because he didn't know how not to.

Her arms dropped from his neck and she stepped back away from him, putting just enough distance between them that should someone need to pass they could.

"How have you been, Hakkaku? It seems like ages since I've seen you."

He shrugged his shoulders and smirked down at her. "You know me; I'm surviving, all things considered. "What about you? How have you been?"

"Good," she retorted while glancing away from him and into the crowd not really sure who she was or was not looking for.

"You're in Tokyo now, right?"

"Yeah. I've been there for almost a year now. It's not like Kyoto, but it's nice. You should come visit sometime."

Kagome thought she saw him lean forward slightly and sniff in her direction, but she couldn't be sure. It had to be her mind playing tricks on her, because what the hell would cause him to do something so unnatural.

"Tokyo has been good to you, Baby Girl, seriously," he whispered, softly brushing an invisible strand of hair from her face before shoving his hands in his pockets and taking a half step back so that he was standing with his side to her.

She'd always liked his little pet name for her and had to admit that it was definitely a lot nicer than being called wench. _I wonder if I could talk Inuyasha into calling me baby girl instead of that stupid wench crap? Probably not._

Shaking off her private thoughts, she glanced up at Hakkaku and noticed that he was looking over her shoulder, his body rigid.

Turning so that she was looking over her own shoulder, her eyes met the gaze of Sesshomaru's, who was staring at the demon in front of her as if silently asking who the hell he was. Her gaze then slipped to Rin, who was grinning at her as if she'd just been caught stealing, and then her eyes moved to that of Inuyasha's golden ones that seemed to glisten in the moonlight around him, his eyes trained on her, his face set in an almost snarl of disapproval.

She swallowed, but refused to let their chastising looks keep her from talking to an old friend. She was right here in front of them for goodness sake, what the hell could she do?

"Friends of yours?" Hakkaku observed rather than questioned softly.

Turning away from the Takahashi's, she stepped towards the demon not sure why she felt the need to prove that she was her own woman. "Oh, yeah, but anyway, how's Ginta doing?"

She heard keys change hands behind her and the click of Rin's heels as they glided across the sidewalk in her direction and she almost looked back but refrained.

"Ginta?" Hakkaku questioned as if he didn't know who she was talking about.

Kagome laughed and playfully punched his shoulder closest to her. "Yeah, silly. He's your twin brother? He's about your height, kind of nerdy, and has the most infectious laugh known to mankind."

Hakkaku seemed to deflate right in front of her as his eyes told her that he was no longer there with her chatting like old friends, but instead he was miles away, maybe even years away in a time when things were much simpler.

She stepped towards the youkai, her hand resting on his arm. "Hakkaku, Ginta is alright, isn't he?"

He turned his gaze back to her and stared at her for a long moment without saying anything.

A hand in the small of her back, claws dragging softly over the material of her shirt jarred her and caused her to step back away from the demon as a husky voice whispered in her ear, "Make it quick, Wench." He kissed her lightly on her cheek and started around her and Hakkaku, who was standing stock still, his face still trained on her, but his eyes following Inuyasha's smooth movements.

She didn't miss the way Inuyasha's upper lip raised in a sneer at Hakkaku or the way his shoulders stiffened while brushing across the back of Hakkaku's jacket as if letting him know that he was less than a milli-second from an ass-kicking if he stepped out of line.

Kagome spared another moment to meet eyes with Inuyasha as he stepped back and allowed Sesshomaru and Rin to enter the establishment before him. He stood for a moment longer gazing at her, his eyes unreadable before he turned his back to her and disappeared into the restaurant leaving her outside with her past.

She started to go after him, but Hakkaku's voice stopped her dead in her tracks, "Ginta's in the states now. When I talk to him again I'll let him know you asked about him."

She didn't know why but she had the feeling that he was lying. It could've been the look in his eyes, or the way his body tensed initially, but she couldn't shake the feeling that he was lying to her.

"Well, do you have a number where I could reach him?"

He looked at her for another moment; his eyes sad and shoulders slumped before he squared them and inhaled deeply while stepping back away from her. "How about this; give me your number and I'll give it to him the next time I talk to him."

Kagome searched his face slowly, looking for a reason as to why it seemed like he was being so evasive with Ginta's whereabouts and contact information.

"I…I don't have a pen."

He stepped back holding his hand out for her to head towards the front door. "No problem, I'm sure we can get one at the concierge's stand up front."

She started towards the door slowly, but stopped. "If I give you my number, you can't… You can't give it to Kouga. You have to promise me."

Hakkaku stepped around her and pulled the door open before the doorman could reach for it. "You have my word, besides I'd hate to see what that crazy ass mate of yours would do to you if Kouga were to call at the wrong time."

The grin, he shot her told her that he was just joking, but it did nothing to stop the shiver that raced up and down her spine at just the thought of Inuyasha and what she hoped they'd be doing when they got back to the hotel room. She shook off her thoughts and replied as she started through the door, "We're not mates, Hakkaku, he's my boyfriend that's all, and he's not crazy."

"Really, he's not your mate?" she heard him whisper softly before he stepped quickly around her and reached for the second set of glass doors with one hand while his other hand found the small of her back and guided her through it.

"Really, why would you think he was?"

Hakkaku was quiet for a long moment behind her before he intoned, "My mistake, I guess I just assumed."

"That's one hell of a thing to just assume, don't you think?"

He snickered, but didn't respond verbally.

Entering the restaurant, she noticed Rin standing at the concierge's stand. Turning her head, her eyes fell on Sesshomaru leaning against the wall, he arms crossed over his chest, his eyes locked on hers. If looks could kill, she knew she'd probably be dead by now, but she brushed that off and looked down at Inuyasha who was leaning forward his elbows on his knees, and his head down as if he was studying the cracks in the ceramic tiles.

"Someone's in trouble," Hakkaku crooned softly and she swore she heard him laugh at her.

"Move your hand and I won't be in trouble," she growled after realizing that his hand was still in the small of her back.

She didn't want to do it, because she could almost taste the anger roiling up from Inuyasha, but she knew she needed to at least introduce Hakkaku if she expected him to let her explain later.

Inhaling deeply, she started towards the two dog demons slowly, knowing that the wolf demon was following behind in the same manner he and Ginta did when she was dating Kouga.

"Who's this handsome fellow?" Rin questioned from behind them and Kagome turned, thankful that the woman had showed up when she did.

"Uh, Rin this is Hakkaku, an old friend. I tripped on the step up and he caught me before I made a complete idiot of myself," Kagome told her, explaining more for Inuyasha's benefit than Rin's.

Inuyasha still hadn't looked up at her, which she found more than a little unnerving. She'd always known that he had a jealous streak, but this was the first time that she was actually privy to witnessing it.

"I see," Rin stated, stepping around Hakkaku and positioning herself so that she was standing in front of Sesshomaru. "Well, Hakkaku, it was very nice of you to keep _our_ Kagome from face planting on the sidewalk, thank you," she finished with a bow. She reached out and ran her hand lightly over Inuyasha's mane and allowed her fingers to snake gently up to his ears where she fingered them lightly, her eyes trained on Kagome's as if daring her to stop her.

Hakkaku chuckled behind Kagome as if sensing the rising tension. "Yeah, well Kagome has always been kind of a klutz. She'd trip over her own shoes from time to time. I'm just glad that I was there to catch her."

Kagome blushed and tore her gaze away from Rin. "Hakkaku, this is Takahashi Sesshomaru, Rin's _mate_, and this is…" She stepped up to Inuyasha, brushed Rin's hands away from his ears and slipped her arm around his shoulders, forcing him to finally look up at the wolf demon. "…this is my boyfriend, Takahashi Inuyasha."

Hakkaku bowed once to each of the demons that merely gave him a nod of their heads with practiced impassive glares. "Nice to meet you all," Hakkaku said quickly, "Ah, Kagome, you want to give me that number? I was on my way out of here when I ran into to you." He glanced down at his watch and then back at her, before he finished, "I'm sure your companions don't really appreciate me taking up all of your time."

Inuyasha stood then. "No, it's fine. Take all the time you need, I'll be at the bar." He stepped around Kagome and started off, and then stopped. "Rin, you want to come along?"

Kagome watched Rin start after him with a sullen smile on her face, and then she turned to Sesshomaru who was turning his attention from Rin's disappearing back to her, a look on his face that clearly said she needed to make this quick.

Starting towards the concierge stand, Kagome asked for a pen and piece of paper. She scribbled her cell number on it and handed it to Hakkaku. "Make sure you tell him to call me, okay?"

He stared down at the paper and smiled sadly. "I will," he told her.

He reached down, pulled her into his arms tightly and whispered, "Whatever you do, don't look back; there's nothing back here that's worth looking for."

She leaned back and stared at him. His eyes were screaming something at her that she desperately wanted to understand but just couldn't. "Hakkaku?"

He released her and stepped back. "It was great seeing you again, Doll, take care of yourself."

She watched him go with a soft smile on her face and started to turn away and head towards the bar area, but stopped at the sound of his voice, "Kagome, did you know that my brother had the biggest crush on you. It was silly actually-all things considered-but there was nothing he wouldn't have done for you."

And then he was gone, disappearing through the glass doors and out of her life again. For some reason she knew she'd never hear from Ginta and she'd probably never see Hakkaku again.

"Have you flirted enough for one day, Higurashi?"

Kagome tore her eyes away from the glass doors and glanced up at the white haired demon that was standing a few feet from her, his hands behind his back.

She blushed. "I wasn't flirting!"

"Well, I suggest you come up with an explanation for what exactly _this_ was, because I honestly do not feel like babysitting tonight," he told her blandly as he started away from her and in the direction that Inuyasha and Rin had gone in.

"What's that suppose to mean?"

He was quiet as they stepped through the wooden walkway and into the lounge where Inuyasha and Rin had procured a table in the back of the sparsely lit establishment.

_Elegant yet not obnoxious,_ she thought eyeing the restaurant quickly.

Sesshomaru made quick work of taking the seat next to Rin as Kagome stepped around Inuyasha and sat in the seat between him and Rin.

"Where's your friend?" Inuyasha questioned, not missing a beat.

"Gone, of course. You didn't think he was going to join us did you?"

"With all of the touching and hugging and shit, I kind of half expected it," Inuyasha told her without looking at her. He wrinkled his nose and leaned away from her as he finished, "You stink by the way."

"You're being silly, Takahashi."

"Am I?"

"Yes, you are," Kagome snapped, "I didn't stink ten minutes ago, did I?"

He wrinkled his nose again. "Well, you stink now."

"Oh my goodness, why are being so juvenile about this? He was a friend, I said hello, that's all. Don't try to make this out to be something that it's not!"

"I…see," he told her methodically as if she'd just won the fight.

"Well, isn't this fun," Rin interjected too happily. "I love date night!"

Inuyasha glared at Rin, his eyes narrowing spitefully, and then swallowed the rest of what was in his glass in one gulp. He then slammed the glass down on the table so hard that the other patrons all turned to look at their table.

"Absolute moron," Sesshomaru hissed under his breath as he leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes as if he needed to calm his own rising ire.

Kagome couldn't believe that the hanyou was acting in this manner because she'd had a conversation with an old friend. Hadn't she introduced Hakkaku to him? It wasn't like she was off in some dark corner letting him fondle her, was it?

No, it wasn't! Inuyasha was definitely blowing things out of proportion.

_God forbid we run into Kouga; he'd probably roll over and die,_ she silently gripped. _Ridiculous!!_

"Ma'am, can I take your order?" a woman that seemed to be on age with her asked and Kagome looked up at her forcing a smile. "Yeah, I'll take a double shot of Yeager," she finished out loud not meaning to, "This is going to be one hell of a long night it appears."

"Well, maybe you should call it a night now," Inuyasha snapped not looking at her. "After all, no one wants to keep you where you don't want to be."

"You're being an asshole, Takahashi," Kagome bit out quietly as her hands balled into tight fists under the table. She tried to tell herself that he was just being nasty because he was jealous of her reaction to seeing Hakkaku. He didn't mean a word of what he was saying and with a few more drinks, he'd be fine.

Inuyasha shot her a quick glance that clearly said, I'm going to show you better than I can tell you, and Kagome shrank back away from him subconsciously.

Looking away from the half-demon, Kagome watched as the waitress made her way over to Sesshomaru and took his order then asked if Rin or Inuyasha needed another drink. Kagome didn't hear what Rin said, but she heard Inuyasha clearly.

"Yeah, you can get me another Stiletto and a piece of paper and pen please."

The woman smiled, her cheeks pinking as she turned and made her way away from the table only to return a few minutes later with their drinks and the paper and pen that Inuyasha had asked for.

Kagome watched her sit the writing utensils in front of Inuyasha, the sleeve of her Kimono brushing against the side of his cheek and something snapped inside of her.

She watched him look up at the woman with a look that she thought was only reserved for her and her breathing quickened as the blood in her body seemed to begin to pulse in time with her violent thoughts.

"What time do you get out of here?" the hanyou questioned the woman seductively.

Sesshomaru groaned loudly and seemed to shrink down in his seat.

Rin picked up her glass and turned away as if pretending that she was clueless as to what was going on around her.

"I'm closing tonight," the waitress replied shyly.

Kagome growled not wanting to believe that he was actually stooping to such childish tactics of playing tit for tat.

"Do you work tomorrow," he questioned as he picked up the pen and started scribbling a number that she knew by heart.

_That son of a bitch! _

"No, why?" the woman asked.

He chuckled, actually chuckled at the woman with her sitting right there, and said, "Because after tonight you're going need some time to recuperate."

Kagome thought she heard someone wheeze out something caught between a groan of disbelief and a cry of outraged. Glancing at Rin and Sesshomaru that were now looking at her, she realized that that sound had actually come directly from her.

She picked up her glass and downed her drink before she trusted herself to look at Inuyasha or to say anything. This was not happening! He was not being this petty and childish, he just wasn't!

He handed the woman the folded paper and winked at her and every muscle in Kagome's body tensed. She wanted to grab him by his hair and pull until he told her exactly what he thought he was doing, but she couldn't move.

The woman took the paper and shoved it in into the sleeve of her kimono. She glanced around the table at the occupants, her eyes coming to rest on Kagome's for a brief moment before she looked back down at Inuyasha. "I guess I'll see you later then."

"I guess you will," Inuyasha responded huskily.

The woman looked from Inuyasha to Kagome as if she thought that this was some kind of joke.

Kagome sneered at the woman unable to stop herself, as a mechanical half of a laugh escaped her. "What the hell are you looking at?" she hissed, her voice not her own, but filled with every emotion she was feeling at the moment.

The waitress blubbered something and Kagome pushed to her feet, stepped around Inuyasha and towards the woman that was slowly stepping back away from her.

Rin stood up. "Kagome don't!"

"Asshole," Sesshomaru hissed.

Inuyasha said nothing.

Her body moved towards the woman, her fists so tight that she could feel her nails digging into the soft skin of her hands. She wanted to grab her and wring her fucking neck! She wanted to drag her by her long black ponytail and ram her head into the wall next to her and she wanted to claw out her fucking eyes, and break her damn hands for even assuming that she'd get a chance to touch what wasn't hers to touch!

The woman stepped back again bumping into an empty table and almost falling over it.

"Kagome, don't!" Rin called again desperately.

She didn't hear her and didn't want to as she continued to glare at the woman while visions danced before her eyes of the nameless woman and Inuyasha locked in some lustful embrace.

She blinked, forcing those visions away and the woman turned and started to run, but Kagome's hand came up so fast that she didn't even know that it was going to happen until it already had.

Chairs skidded back across that floor behind her, voices raised and she found herself being pulled back against someone's chest, a clawed hand wrapped possessively around her own, purple marks running the length of them. The other snaked around her waist pulling her back against his body.

She tried to take a step towards the woman that was fighting to pull herself out of her grip, but the more she pulled, the stronger Kagome held on. She hadn't meant to do this, she honestly hadn't, but the thought… Just the thought of someone else with him…in his arms...

She knew this was insanity. It made no sense to allow someone to have this much control over her emotions, but…but he was hers! He belonged to her, even if he didn't believe it! He belonged to her! How dare he? How dare she? How dare they?

Kagome growled and somehow knotted her hand around the woman's hair and started to yank back.

"Sesshomaru!" Rin called from somewhere beside them as Kagome watched the bartender and a few of the other employees come out of the back room holding various objects like butcher's knives and rolling pins.

"He's an asshole, Higurashi. He knew you'd react like this, but he had no desire to go through with anything," Sesshomaru explained in a bored monotone voice.

"She has something I need," the livid young woman managed through clenched teeth while yanking the woman's head back further.

Rin stepped quickly around the waitress and reached into her sleeve. Unbelievably with everything that was going on, Kagome actually noticed the woman trying to stop Rin from getting the piece of paper!

"Got it! Now, let her go," Rin told her pleadingly.

The tension drained from her body and she let the woman go as she fell back onto Sesshomaru's chest. The demon released her as soon as the waitress disappeared into the back room of the establishment.

Kagome turned to him with a grateful look on her face, but she couldn't find a thing to say to him. Her eyes moved from Sesshomaru's golden gaze to Inuyasha, who was still sitting down, his drink in his hand staring at her with an unreadable expression on his face.

_Is…is he gloating? He can't be! He better not be!_

"Let's get out here," Sesshomaru said. Without waiting on anyone's approval, he slipped his arm around her shoulder as if making sure she didn't attack anyone else and guided her out the establishment.

He requested the car from the valet, put her in the front seat and went around to the driver side door.

She didn't pay attention to the other occupants, but knew Inuyasha was the last person to enter the vehicle before it took off down the street filled with silence and so much tension that she swore it could've been cut with dull plastic spoon.

"Am I taking you home, Higurashi?" Sesshomaru questioned after a moment.

"No," was her response, and then she finished bitterly, "I need get my things from Inuyasha's room. I'll call Hakkaku to pick me up from there; after all, it's not like I have to work tomorrow."

A growl ripped through the silence and she inwardly gloated, because she realized that two could play this childish game that he started.

Rin groaned and rolled down her window as if she was going to jump from the moving vehicle.

"I…I see," was Sesshomaru's reply as he shook his head disapprovingly and continued down the street.

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

It was like a wave rolling through him, gaining momentum with each second that ticked by, each step that he took through the hotel lobby, and with each rock of her hips as she walked beside his brother a few feet ahead of him.

From the moment he'd seen her throw herself into that wolf's arms; it had been straight downhill from there. At first, he figured he'd play along with her, after all this guy was just an acquaintance, right? However, the more she touched him and he touched her, the more he found the situation completely unbearable.

He hadn't meant for things to get as out of hand as they did, but after a few drinks and with her of no consequences responses to his questions, he figured she needed a taste of her own medicine. Of course, he had no plans of doing anything with the dog of a woman and had Kagome sat back to think about that, she would've figured that much out, but _no, _she had to blow a gasket and attack the damn woman.

Even after that, he was fine, but her plans for tonight with this Hakkaku fuck was inexcusable and if she thought for even a fucking second that he was going to let her just grab her shit and leave, she had another think coming.

The elevator doors opened and closed around him and he propped himself in the far corner away from her and his brother, who for some reason was acting like her protector or something.

The doors opened and Sesshomaru and Kagome stepped off, followed by him and Rin. The silence was a deafening thing and left much to be desired, but it was fine with him.

Sesshomaru and Kagome stopped at his door and he stepped up between them while fishing the room key out the back pocket of his jeans. Slipping it into the slot, the door popped open and he stepped in. Kagome stepped in behind him, and he quickly positioned himself across the door blocking his brother from entering.

"Move, Inuyasha, or I'll move you," his brother ordered.

The hanyou didn't flinch as he snarled back at the older demon. "You should know better than anyone else here that this doesn't concern you, _Brother_."

He could feel Kagome standing a few feet behind him, her uncertainty a palpable thing, but she wasn't afraid, maybe a little anxious and nervous, but not afraid.

Sesshomaru growled at him, and Inuyasha growled back his stance changing to one of attack.

"I'm fine," Kagome told Sesshomaru quickly, "I'm just going to get my things and call my ride and I'm out of here. I'll be fine."

Sesshomaru glanced at her without moving his head, before he relaxed and stepped back to where Rin was standing worriedly. "Don't do anything foolish, _Brother_," he hissed condescendingly as if he expected just that.

Inuyasha growled low in his throat and slammed the door in both his brother and Rin's face. Sparing just a moment to calm his nerves, he stalked down the hall that Kagome had already traveled down. He could hear her in the bedroom shoving stuff into her overnight bag that she'd only brought over a few hours ago.

Walking passed the door to the bedroom, he slowed his stroll and stared at her, their eyes meeting briefly, but he didn't venture in. He continued on into the living room as he stated loud enough for her to hear, "You're deluding yourself if you think I'm going to let you leave here with that son of a bitch, Kagome."

"I'll leave here with whoever the hell I choose to!" she shouted back at him.

"Try it and see how far you actually get, Wench," he told her too calmly.

She stomped out the room, her bag in her hand. Stepping into the living room, she dropped her bag on the couch and challenged, "And exactly how the hell are you going to stop me?"

The hanyou twisted the top off a bottle of water and chugged it as he watched her reflection stare at him obviously waiting on an answer. He scoffed as if that was the stupidest question he'd ever heard and retorted, "You might as well put your things back, and stop wasting my time and yours."

"I'm not doing this with you," she told him softly, her tone tired and a little exasperated.

He turned to her. "Doing what?"

"This! I'm not going to argue with you over something that's done! You ruined everyone's evening because you couldn't contain your jealousy, Inuyasha!"

"I ruined it? You were the one that was letting that mangy ass fucking wolf practically fondle you! And right in front of my fucking family, Kagome!"

"I was not!"

"Yes the hell you were! I mean like it wasn't bad enough that I have to watch you throw yourself at him, but you also have to give him your fucking number right in front of my brother?" His anger getting the best of him, he threw the bottle of water against the far wall. "How the hell do you think that makes me look? My…my…m… My fucking girlfriend can't keep her fucking hands to herself for one fucking hour!"

"I didn't throw myself at anyone, you idiot! He caught me; I told you that!"

"Yeah, whatever," he hissed, turning away from her, his brow furrowed deeply.

"I can't believe that you're actually this jealous! None of this would've happened had you not been acting like a two year old!"

"A two year old?"

"That's what I said, didn't I? Rather than just talking to me about it like an adult you have to go and hit on that damn tramp right in front of my face! What was that about?"

He shrugged. "That was me showing you just how silly I could be."

"See, games, Inuyasha, fucking games! I don't have time for this shit!" She stomped towards the phone and picked up the receiver then started dialing a number. "If games are what you want to play then just go play them with someone else!"

He didn't care what number it was; all he knew was that she wasn't leaving this hotel room tonight! He didn't care if he had to sit up and guard the damn door all night!

Inuyasha stepped around her and leaned down, yanking the phone cord out of the wall. "You're out of your fucking mind if you think you're leaving this fucking room, Kagome!" he groundout, stepping back and across to the other side of the room.

She stared at the phone for along moment, before she turned to him, a look of dismay on her face that told him that to her, he'd just lost his everlasting mind.

"What? Why…why would you do that?" she questioned softly staring down at the phone clasped tightly in her hand.

"Don't ask dumb questions," he told her coldly, his face set in a deep scowl.

Kagome stared at the phone for a moment longer as if she needed to allow something the register within her mind.

The hanyou didn't see it coming, but as he looked up he had just a fraction of a second to duck before the receiver of the phone connected with the wall just beside where he was standing.

"Don't ask dumb questions? You son of a bitch!" she ground out. "You flirt with some dirty whore in my face and practically tell her how you're going to fuck her right in front of me and you expect me to just stand here and take this shit? You must have lost your fucking mind, Takahashi!"

"Well, you were practically ready to fuck that dude right in front of me, right?" he tossed back, knowing he was exaggerating more than a little bit. "So what, you can dish it out, but you can't take it?" he quipped tauntingly.

His only answer was her hefting the base of the phone up and throwing it at his head.

"Kagome, stop throwing shit at me," he ordered while ducking out of the way.

"Shut the hell up!" she growled. "I'm the only one in this goddamn room that has any right to be mad about anything that happened tonight! I was simply chatting with an old friend whom I introduced to you, but you…you were giving that woman your number and making plans to screw her!"

"Feh, whatever," he grumbled knowing that he was wrong, but refusing to admit as much.

She stalked towards him and Inuyasha stepped back away from her; her eyes dangerous flames against the dim light of the hotel room.

"I swear to the gods Kagome you need to calm down, because if you pinch me or hit me, I'm going to fuck you up," he threatened stepping back away from her. He knew his threat was emptier than a bottle of water in the middle of a desert, but he had to save face.

"Don't tell me to fucking calm down now, you childish bastard! And if I did hit you what the hell would you do; hit me back?" she challenged stepping so close that he could almost feel the heat radiating off of her body. To drive her point home-he was sure-she shoved him in the center of his chest forcing him back another step.

Inuyasha stumbled back away from her ire and caught her hand as she tried to grab at a patch of skin on his neck, and knocked her hand away. "I swear to everything that's holy if you keep pushing me, I'm going to ball your ass up and shove you in a closet until you calm down!" She came at him again, and he swatted her hand away quickly being careful not to hurt her.

He hadn't had a plan, but he had to admit that this was not one of the ways he had expected her to react. _Abusive ass woman, _he ground out silently!!

"I attacked that woman because of you and all you did was sit there and watch!" She shouted angrily, "No, you didn't just watch, you sat there and gloated! I made a fool of myself tonight because of your little fucking game, Takahashi. You don't have any right to ask me to do or not to do shit!" She reached back, picking up something off the arm of the couch and finished as she threw it right at his face, "If I wanted to bust your goddamn head right now, there isn't a goddamn thing you could do!"

The hanyou ducked low, the object just missing his head by an inch or two. He growled heatedly and charged forward, his arms wrapping around her legs. Picking her up as if she was a feather, he pulled her close and rushed forward tumbling over the back of the couch so that she was pinned below him on the cushions.

"I said calm the fuck down," he growled as he tried to grasp the wrists of her hands that were swatting too damn quickly at his face, neck, and clothed chest.

"I will not!" she growled as she caught him across the left cheek with a stiff left hand.

He could smell her tears now and it tore at the very core of who he was, but he forced that knowledge to the back of his mind and focused on getting her to hold still long enough for him to think this shit through.

"Just…just fucking stop, Kagome! Stop fucking moving! Stop…stop fucking crying!" he shouted as he finally caught hold of her wrists and pinned them over her head.

She blubbered as more angry tears came to her eyes, "I hate you! You…you make me so…so sick!" She twisted fitfully trying to wipe her face on her shoulder and then finished, "Sometimes I'm sorry…I'm sorry that I even met you!"

The room stilled, well, at least he stilled, her words hitting him like a plane crashing down from the sky into the pavement far below or a wrecking ball against a weak shell of a tree.

Regret assaulted him as Bitch whined miserably within his head as if he was literally crying. For the first time he felt the repercussions of his impulsive actions. For the first time, he felt shame and regret for claiming her without her permission. And for the first time, he truly felt a nail slipping into his coffin.

It was like the sad end of a really beautiful, but short, love story.

Inuyasha stared down at her, the woman he'd claimed as his mate. He sighed and shook his head slowly before he released her hands and pushed back standing to his feet.

"_Mine," _Bitch whined weakly, but this time it was more of a question than a declaration.

"_No," _the hanyou responded sullenly as he stepped back away from her and sat down in the chair across the room from where she was still sprawled on the couch.

He watched her push herself up into a sitting position; his mind unable to find anything to say to her or that would make a difference. This was wrong, he knew that, but he felt powerless to do anything about it.

She obviously hadn't noticed the change in his demeanor because she picked up right where she left off from a few minutes earlier, "From the moment I met you, I've been making a complete ass of myself! And how do you thank me?"

The hanyou looked away from her, but didn't reply to what had to be a rhetorical question.

She finished as she stood to her feet and stalked towards him, her hands on her hips, "How do you thank me? You constantly remind that I'm not good enough, Inuyasha! You constantly show me that I'm just your right now pussy!"

He looked up at her then. "Kagome," he whispered so soft that he doubted that she could hear him. It was stupid, he knew it was, but he did it anyway. He reached for her, hoping to pull her into his lap and just hold onto her for a little while longer, but she twisted out of his grasp.

He could've put forth the extra effort and forcibly grab at her again, but he just didn't have it in him at the moment to even try.

She glared down at him. "You're a prick, Inuyasha! An Asshole…a childish bastard!" she intoned pointedly. She shook her head, tears returning to her eyes. "I know that! I know what you are, but…!" She wiped at her eyes and finished, "But…but…but as much as I know that. I still…"

The hanyou leaned forward quickly, unsure of exactly what he was doing. He grabbed her hips, pulling her to him. Wrapping his arms around her tiny waist, he laid his head against her flat belly and held her close. She struggled against his hold, but he held steadfast refusing to let her go.

His lips started moving without his permission, "I know you hate me and I know I make you sick and that you're sorry that you ever met me, but…but I don't hate you. I'm not sorry that I met you, and…and you don't make me sick; you make me…you make me better."

Her fight slowly began to diminish then. She was listening to him now, really listening.

He continued, "I'm stupid and I'm jealous and I'm sorry, Kagome. I shouldn't have done what I did tonight. I shouldn't have pushed you like that, but the…" He felt her hands hesitantly find his head and then his ears that were laying back and he closed his eyes relishing her willing touch as he continued, "the thought of you leaving me for someone…anyone drives me insane. I don't know what you are to me," he lied, "But you're not just a piece of pussy as you put it. You're not just someone that I'm doing."

Inuyasha looked up at her then and continued, "I might be a lot of things like jealous, and childish, and arrogant, and impatient, but right now in this moment, all I am is sorry. I'm sorry for tonight, last night, and for everything I haven't done yet. I'm…I'm just…"

"Shut up," Kagome whispered softly, her hands buried in the roots of his hair as she stared down at him. "Just shut up," she repeated and he did.

She stared down at him for a long moment before she dropped to her knees before the chair he was sitting in and leaned forward wrapping her arms around his upper chest. "I'm sorry I said those things to you. I didn't mean any of it. I was just so angry with you. I…I…I am just as much at fault as you are. And I'm sorry for my part in this fight," she finished.

The hanyou leaned forward pulling her closer, inhaling her scent. He wanted to believe her. He wanted to go back to believing that he hadn't made a mistake, but her words…her angry words still rang in his head chiseling away at any ounce of hope that he had left. Still, he hugged her tight and close, savoring every minute.

"I love you," he whispered, his tone heartfelt and broken, "And I really am sorry…for everything." He knew that she'd think that he was just talking about tonight, but he knew he was talking about everything.

She pushed against him, stood to her feet, and climbed into his lap. Snuggling against his chest, her face in the crook of his neck, she whispered as she tilted her head up and kissed the underside of his chin, "I love you more."

The hanyou looked down at her, a sad smile on his face. "Do you…really?"

She ran her gentle hands across his brow, down the tip of his nose and leaned in, kissing him lightly on the lips before she settled back into his hold and intoned sweetly, "You have know idea just how much I do."

Closing his eyes as he allowed his head to fall back against the back of the chair, Inuyasha thought as he tightened his hold on her, _I could say the same thing to you, Higurashi Kagome. I could say that same thing to you._

"_Mine?"_ Bitch asked again.

The hanyou didn't answer his youkai blood right away as he sat listening to the strum of her heartbeat. The silence between them dragged on, her breathing evening out and he finally replied, his arms tightening even more around her, _"I don't know, Bitch. I thought she was, but…but I don't know anymore."_

**Until Next Time**… (Your patience and your .02 cents are greatly appreciated!!)

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**Next Chapter:** The End of Days

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**Acknowledgements**: All others have been sent PM's

**Tazzy**: My you're a violent one!! (lol) Thanks for your review and your patience!!

**Jin**: Thanks for your review and sorry about the wait!!


	57. The End of Days

**A/N:** As always all characters will be walking that line called OOCness!! Yeah, yeah, I know I'm a twat because I took so long to update, but life has been something else as of late, and my focus has been elsewhere. Anyway, thanks for waiting and for your continued support my friends, please enjoy!! And as always a special thanks to the ace in the hole, Neko!!

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**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Dinshu, Dr. Aikio, Maki, Moki, Nola, Nya, Gage, Ashton, Takira, the spinx, and Hoko.

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**Chapter 57**

**The End of Days**

"What happened to them? Who would've stepped on them like this?" Nola questioned, her face set in a deep scowl as she pulled on her gardening gloves.

Kagome blushed and adjusted her mother's gardening hat that she'd borrowed for this little afternoon adventure. She didn't know a thing about gardening accept that she needed to dig a hole, put something in it, and then cover it up, but she'd promised her mom that she'd help repair the damage that she and Inuyasha had caused a day or so earlier.

Of course, he was supposed to be here helping her, but she'd honestly forgotten to tell him about it. Once everything had calmed down from their first real fight since they'd been together, all she'd wanted to do was enjoy the quiet peace that he offered. That aside, she really couldn't see him doing such manual labor, so she decided that she'd handle it herself.

When he'd dropped her off earlier that morning, she found it almost impossible to get out of the car and leave him to his own endeavors. It wasn't that she thought he was going to do something-no-it was just the sullen look that she'd seen on his face from time to time when he thought she wasn't paying attention.

She knew it probably had everything to do with the things she'd shouted at him when she was angry, but she also knew that she'd apologized for them. If he was still upset or believed even a word of it; she couldn't really do anything about it except prove otherwise to him.

Truthfully, she'd been kicking herself over their little spat the entire night and most of the morning. She'd always had a knack for sticking her foot in her mouth at the worst time, but the last thing she wanted to do was to hurt him.

_That's what I did last night, _she told herself, _When I think back about that moment… The look on his face… It was like I had cursed him or…or hurt him worse than anyone ever had before. I didn't notice it when I should've but…_

"This is just sad," Nola admonished, "What animals would do such a thing? If I knew who did this, I swear I'd take a bite out of their bottoms!"

"Oh, it's not that bad, is it?"

"Well not to you, of course, but Mom and I spent hours out here getting these bushes ready for the rose festival." The girl actually sounded like she wanted to cry. "This is just…just sad."

Kagome looked down at the rose bushes. The ones on the end seemed to be in good condition, but the ones in the middle were vacant of their buds, petals scattered in the soil and squished by what had to be Inuyasha's shoes.

"Well, it's done now, so there's really no reason to cry about it is there?" Kagome questioned, dropping to her knees in front of one of the bushes. Picking up the pair of gardening scissors, she started snipping off the leftover buds of the bush before her, wanting nothing more than to be done with this so that she could head inside.

"What are you doing?" Nola shouted, grabbing her hand before she could snip the last bud.

"Well, I have to cut these off otherwise they won't grow back, right?"

"Well, yeah, but you can't just do it all rough like that! Roses have feelings, you know. They're kind of like people. If you're nice to them, they'll bloom for you, but if you're mean and rough, they'll shy away."

Kagome frowned at her as if she thought she'd just lost her mind. "I'll be the last one to even pretend that I have a green thumb, but that just sounds like complete nonsense to me."

"Be that as it may, Sis, it's the truth."

Kagome sat back on her haunches and stared up at the young lady. She wasn't really sure if she liked Nola all that much, but she was definitely growing on her. She figured if her and Souta were really destined to be mates, then she might as well at least try to get along with her.

"How about this," Kagome started, "I let you do this and I'll sit out here and keep your company?"

Nola shrugged her shoulders and settled down next to Kagome. "You don't have to. I like gardening; I can do it for hours on end and not even realize how much time is passing."

"Really, it doesn't get boring?"

"Nah, it's therapeutic," she laughed as she picked up the discarded scissors that Kagome had just lain down. "I remember when your mom told me that the first time I gardened with her; I didn't believe her, but now it's like my favorite pastime."

Kagome stood quickly and brushed off her bottom and her knees before stepping over to the other side of the sidewalk and sitting down on the grass. She leaned back so that she was staring up at the white fluffy clouds rolling past.

The day was young and felt promising. There was a perfect westerly breeze that caused goose bumps to rise up on her skin, but just as quickly as they came the rays from the sun that hadn't quite reached its highest point in the sky would chase them away.

She sighed while leaning back on her elbows, her neck tilting back. Closing her eyes, she allowed the sun to warm the underside of her neck as she questioned, "Nola?"

"Yes?"

"Are you serious about this my brother is your mate stuff?"

"Of course, why do you ask?" she retorted absently as if she was just going through the motions.

"Well, you are a little young, aren't you?"

The girl giggled, causing Kagome to look up just in time to watch her brush a strand of fiery red hair out of her face. "Why do people always say that? Love knows no age and there isn't a time limit that you have to know someone before you know whether you want to be with that person. Either its right or it's not. Besides, I'm going to be 17 in a few months. In some countries I would be considered an old-maid."

Kagome sat up; a little disturbed by the girl's unfailing confidence in what she was feeling for a high school student. "You don't worry about heartbreak?"

"No," she answered quickly, wiping at her forehead with the back of her hand. "There aren't enough hours in a day for me to devote time to that."

"But Nola, what if Souta goes off to college and meets someone else? Have you thought about that?"

Nola's hands stilled momentarily, and then started up again. "It has crossed my mind once or twice, but he's mine. Even if he forgets every once and awhile when he goes off to school, he's still mine, and he'll come back to me."

Kagome could only stare at the back of the young woman's head wondering just how she could be so sure of anything, especially love.

She looked as if she just had an epiphany and she sucked in a deep breath. _She's sure because she's a demon; they aren't nearly as fickle as humans are. _Her mind raced back to a conversation that she'd tried to have with Inuyasha about choosing his mate, but she quickly brushed that off because he'd never truly given her an answer.

Eyeing the girl closely, she decided that maybe if she asked another female, one that wanted to be a member of her family, she'd get the answers she needed. "Nola, how do you know he's your mate?"

"What?" she questioned softly, not turning around to face her.

"How do you know Souta's your mate? Did you choose him?"

She sighed softly as if whatever image she had in her head was just too precious to share with a complete stranger. For a minute, Kagome didn't think that she was going to answer her but then she stated softly, "I honestly didn't have a choice, Kagome. From the first minute I saw him, I was drawn to him. At first I didn't understand it. No matter how hard I tried not to think about him or not to run into him, I always did."

"Really?"

"It wasn't until I talked to my parents about it that it all started to make sense." She set the sheers down on the sidewalk next her and turned to face Kagome. "They told me that when a demon finds his or her mate, it's like two magnets pulling towards one another. There's no fighting it, no avoiding it, and no stopping it; it's inevitable."

"Inevitable? But is it the same for humans? I mean with two demons, I could understand, but with you and Souta…"

Nola shrugged offhandedly, "I honestly can't say with any certainty, but I think that humans that date demons have an idea too. Souta patronized me at first when I told him, but I could always see in his eyes that he wanted to believe me, and now he does."

Kagome chewed on her lower lip and looked away from the girl. Could that be the truth? If she were Inuyasha's mate, wouldn't he know by now? And if he knew, why wouldn't he have told her? Maybe this means that she isn't, and regardless of her wishful thinking, it was never going to happen for her.

"So, does the demon know right away?"

"No, at least with my mom and dad, they didn't. My mother knew first, but she said she kind of had to literally beat it into my father's head. He was just stubborn about the whole mate thing and had never considered that he had one," Nola answered. "I think it's different for everyone."

"I see," Kagome intoned, her voice distant.

Nola laughed and turned back around to her gardening. "Do you really want to know about me and Souta or is this about you and that _dog_ of yours?"

Kagome blushed and was thankful that the girl couldn't see her face. "Well…"

Nola glanced back at her and winked, "I don't think you have anything to worry about, Sis."

Kagome leaned forward hopefully and questioned, "Why do you say that?"

She shrugged again, her nose wrinkling slightly. "You smell different, but then Souta tells me that my nose is broken, so I could be wrong," she retorted quickly.

Kagome thought back to Hakkaku's assumption that she and Inuyasha were mates and her heart leaped. "Different how?"

Nola shrugged, her frown deepening. "I don't know… More like a wet dog, I guess. You didn't smell like that when you first came home."

Kagome blushed. "That's just because I've been spending a lot of time with the Takahashi's, right?" She hoped it was more than that, she really did, but she also knew that it was foolish to even give voice to such a thing.

Nola sniffed in her direction and fanned her hand in front of her face as if to dissipate the scent. "We can always hope," she replied, her nose wrinkling.

Kagome looked down at her lap, but she could feel Nola's eyes boring into her as if she was trying to decipher something, but the young woman said nothing more before she went back to snipping at the rose bushes.

Kagome started to say something to her, but stopped at the sound of a car. Then three car doors slammed and she stood quickly to her feet.

"You didn't have to hit him," a woman's voice said.

"Well, next time he'll know to keep his goddamn hands to himself!" a male voice growled.

Checking her watch which read just before noon, she knew they shouldn't be back now, but she'd know his voice anywhere; it was definitely the Takahashi clan.

Nola stood up as well beside her. "Your _dogs_, I presume," she said blandly.

Kagome couldn't remember the girl's voice ever being that emotionless and had to turn and look down at her to make sure that this was still the chipper helpful girl that she'd been talking to less than a few minutes earlier.

"You need to call and apologize," Rin chastised loudly, and Kagome had to admit that she'd never heard Rin raise her voice before. "He's the only one that takes our pictures, Inuyasha, you have to."

"He's bleeding," Nola whispered softly.

Kagome took a slow step forward as she heard Inuyasha growl, "Not on your life, Rin. He's a fucking pervert and I'm sick of his bullshit!" As they crested the steps, she quickened her pace until she was practically trotting towards them.

As soon as she laid eyes on Inuyasha who was draped in a pair of white linen pants that fell perfectly over his hips, and a button down short sleeved linen top that showed just a sliver of the red tank top that he wore beneath his shirt, a grin broke out over her face. His hair was pulled up in a high ponytail at the crown of his head, which she'd never seen him wear before, but she had to admit that she liked it and would have to tell him to wear it like that again.

He stopped and smiled at her seconds before opening his arms for her to fall into. Kagome collided with him, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him dead on the lips.

"Damn Wench, you'd think that I was gone for years," he told her.

She blushed and leaned back, but didn't drop her hold on him. "What can I say; I missed your psychotic butt." Kissing him again, she questioned quickly, "Nola said that you were bleeding. Did something happen? Are you alright?"

"Nothing serious, I just split a knuckle but it's healing."

"What happened?" she questioned stepping back and taking both of his hands in her own. "Who did you hit?"

"Tell you later," he told her quickly as if he didn't want to talk about it.

The hanyou grinned at her as he narrowed his eyes at someone over her head. Glancing back, Kagome said, "That's Nola, Souta's mate or soon to be mate, or something. She's cool as long as you don't flirt with her."

Inuyasha glared at the girl. "You don't need to worry about that, I don't much care for kitties."

Kagome swore she heard a hiss from somewhere behind her, and she spun to see Nola damn near snarling back at Inuyasha.

Sesshomaru was the last to appear at the top of the stairs and Kagome noticed from the corner of her eye that he stopped short as well, his head dropping low.

"You guys must be joking," she bellowed after taking in the standoff. Nola looked like she was ready to take off at any moments her heckles raised to levels that Kagome couldn't explain. Glancing at Inuyasha, she noticed that he had this stupid grin on his face that told her he was about to do something really, really dumb and Sesshomaru, even he had an uncharacteristic smirk on his face.

"Oh my," Rin whispered softly. "Um, Kagome, I think your friend should leave."

"What, no, why?"

"Their dog demons, Kagome," Rin told her brusquely.

"You're kidding me, right?" she whispered, turning to look from Nola who was standing stock still, and then to Inuyasha, who was now leaning towards the neko as if at any moment he was going to pounce on her.

"I wish I was, but some things are just ingrained in them," Rin told her lacing her arm within Sesshomaru's.

Kagome turned her back on Nola and turned her full attention to Inuyasha. "Hey, look at me!"

He didn't.

"Takahashi," she called, "I said look at me!"

He didn't.

Kagome pulled and slapped him hard across the face. He snapped out of his reverie then and looked down at her as if he hadn't a clue as to what had just happened.

"No, no, no, bad dog!"

Inuyasha leaned back from her, one eyebrow raised higher than the other as if he thought she was stir fucking crazy. "Wench, who in the hell do you think you're talking to, Ashton?"

Kagome blushed, but didn't back down. "You can't attack her, or chase her, or anything understand? That's Souta's girlfriend. You just can't, okay?"

Inuyasha frowned down at her. "Do I look like a dog to you?"

"Well…"

"Should I get you a rolled up newspaper, Sis?" Nola called from across the yard. "It's what my father uses to teach our neighbor's dog manners!"

Inuyasha and Sesshomaru growled and started to step forward. Rin pushed her weight against Sesshomaru, while Kagome pitched up on her toes and wrapped her arms around Inuyasha's neck.

The hanyou grinned. "Try it kitty; I'll give your raunchy ass a bleach bath!"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome chastised.

He stepped back as if he'd just come back to his senses. "Sorry," he whispered not sounding half as sorry as he should've. "You know there are just some people that you meet that you just don't like; well she's one of them."

"Why, because she's a cat demon? That's really stupid; you guys are supposed to have evolved pass this!!"

Kagome couldn't hear what was said from the opposite side of the yard, but a second later her arms were free and Inuyasha was a silver blur headed across the yard. Nola was a reddish streak in front of him zipping between the trees that lined her family's yard.

"Inuyasha!" she screamed.

Kagome heard Nola hissing violently, but she didn't hear a solitary thing coming from Inuyasha; it was almost like he wasn't there at all. She couldn't hear his feet crunching against the ground nor could she make out anything about his physique from the blur, but she knew it was him because he was the only one missing at the moment.

Staring at the two demons in amazement, she couldn't help but to think how unnatural it was for anyone to move in such a fashion and with such speed.

The sound of Souta bursting through the front door jarred her from her reverie and Kagome turned to look at him. For a moment she didn't recognize him because of the mayhem that was taking place before her, but the minute he opened his mouth the world around her started moving again, "What the hell is going on?!?"

Kagome turned just in time to see the red blur zip to the left, and then double back twisting awkwardly in her brother's direction, but it veered off to the right again when a second silver phantom that should've been standing with Rin appeared in front of Souta blocking the cat's path to safety.

Sesshomaru materialized in front of Souta, his arms crossed over his chest, his face set in snarl.

Kagome couldn't believe her eyes, this just was not happening. The Takahashi's were not acting like…like dogs! This wasn't happening! They weren't dogs, damn it! They were refined! They were beyond rich! They were…they were… Damn it, they weren't mongrels!

Souta shouted, "Nola, what the hell?"

Kagome jogged towards her brother as she screamed an answer to his question that wasn't meant for her, "Their dogs, Souta, and she's a cat; they don't get along!"

"You're shitting me!" he retorted without looking back, apparently too intrigued in the display before him to look away. "Nola!" he called again urgently while taking a hesitant step towards the red and silver blurs that vanished and reappeared at the opposite end of the yard away from them.

"Get the hose; if we stop her, we'll stop Inuyasha from chasing her," Kagome told him.

"I'm not spraying my girlfriend with a fucking hose, Kagome," Souta ground out angrily. "Spray him!"

"Are you crazy?" she grunted back, "I will not!"

The two blurs zipped across the yard again and ended finally with Inuyasha standing comfortably at the base of the family tree, Nola hidden deep in the bows of the tree barely visible from the ground.

He stood there looking up at her, a silly grin on his face. "Come on down," he stated conversationally, "Let me show you how much of a mongrel I really am."

"Go to hell," she shrieked down at him.

The hanyou chuckled and retorted, "Oh come on down, I've always wanted to know what it was like to skin a cat." He cracked his knuckles eerily seconds before raking his claws across the bark of the tree, creating a sick ripping sound that rolled through the yard. "I'll be gentle, I promise."

Nola hissed at him from the branch, but didn't move to get down. "Souta, get this mutt away from me," she called desperately, "Call the pound or a butcher! Help me!"

"Oi, leave her alone," Souta hollered coming to a stop under the tree a few feet behind the hanyou. "How old are you anyway? I can't believe you actually chased a girl up a tree like that!"

Inuyasha grinned unrepentantly back at him and winked, "Payback is a bitch isn't it, playboy?"

Kagome came to a stop next to Inuyasha. She was breathless and didn't know if she wanted to laugh at him or scream at him, but she didn't have time to do either before she heard Nola hiss, "Mangy flea bitten dogs that need to be euthanized."

Inuyasha sprang from the ground and into the tree. Landing easily on the branch right beneath Nola, he questioned arrogantly, "Didn't think I could climb, did you, pu…ssy?"

"Leave her alone!" Souta screamed while searching for something to throw at the hanyou.

Kagome pushed her brother aside, knocking him off balance as she stared up at the demon and half demon mounted in her 500 year old family tree. "No fucking way," she whispered in amazement as she took in the height to which they had reached. It had to be more than 10 stories high.

Nola scrambled back, leaping from one branch to the other and then bounding effortlessly to the ground. Thankfully, Inuyasha didn't move from his perch, but as she charged towards the front door of the house, Kagome couldn't stop the groan of horror that slipped from her lips.

The damn girl was zigzagging directly for Sesshomaru. Kagome wasn't sure what she thought she was going to do once she got within arm's reach of him, but she definitely seemed to have a purpose.

She was 100 feet away from Sesshomaru.

Kagome whimpered softly.

She was 75 feet away from the full demon.

Kagome stepped back away from the scene not wanting to know how it played out. She tried to tell herself that nothing was going to happen; Sesshomaru was better than this, so much better than this. He'd eventually step aside when Nola got closer, but he didn't.

She was 50 feet away from him.

Kagome closed her eyes and clenched her fists. _He's better than this, he's better than this, _she chanted silently.

She was 20 feet away from him now.

Kagome raised her hand and covered her face, while the other found its way to her parted lips. _He's not going to do anything! He's not!_

She was 10 feet and Kagome screamed helplessly as she watched through parted fingers as Sesshomaru took a step that she couldn't say she actually witnessed and snatched the girl up from the ground by the skin of her neck with about as much effort as it took a human to swat an invisible gnat away.

He was holding Nola up off the ground her feet dangling and kicking, twisting in the air, and Kagome swore she actually looked like a dam kitten that someone was looking over before they decided whether to drown it or keep it.

"Who's mangy?" he questioned impassively, his head tilting to the left and then again to the right.

Nola hissed and clawed at the air. She twisted her body this way and that way and scratched at his arm, his face, and anything else that she had any hope of reaching.

"Sesshomaru, you put her down now!" Rin screamed. "I mean right now, you put her down this instant, damn it!"

"What the heck is going on out-" Mrs. H asked stepping out the door behind the full demon. Stepping around Sesshomaru, she spared a long confusing moment to take in the scene before her as she planted her feet and placed her hands on her hips.

Narrowing her eyes in that no nonsense manner that formidable mothers everywhere used, she questioned calmly enough, "And exactly what do you think you're doing with her?" Not waiting on Sesshomaru to answer, she demanded through clenched teeth, "You put her down this instant!"

Sesshomaru spared just a glance at the older woman before he dropped Nola unceremoniously to the ground. "Pfft," he murmured as if this entire situation was a waste of his time, but he did not move from where he'd been standing.

Inuyasha sprang from the tree landing behind her, and Kagome sighed as she felt herself being pulled back against his warm hard chest. His hands slipped around her waist hugging her close and she melted into him easily as she stared across the courtyard at Nola, who was hiding behind her mother's back, peeping out at her and Inuyasha.

"Who's going to tell me what's going on out here? Why are you, two grown men chasing Nola around my yard and Inuyasha don't tell me you chased her up that tree, I swear…"

Kagome stepped forward. "Mom, it's nothing. It's just a dog and cat thing, but nothing we can't handle, right Rin?"

Rin stepped forward quickly. "Yes, ma'am. Sorry about all of this," she told her with a polite bow.

"Souta, right?" Kagome questioned.

Souta stared at the two dog demons and then at his girlfriend, he couldn't believe what he'd just seen. This was nuts absolutely nuts, but he nodded his head anyway and said, "Yeah, we got it Mom."

"It damn sure doesn't look like it," she murmured, eyeing the occupants of the yard slowly. Patting the young girl on the hip, she told her without taking her eyes of the other occupants of her yard, "Go ahead in the house and clean yourself up." Taking her time to take in the demon closest to her, she said, "I assume you're related to Inuyasha?"

Sesshomaru nodded once.

"And she," she continued pointing at Rin, "Is with you?"

Sesshomaru nodded again. "My mate, yes."

"I see," she said to everyone. "Well, when you all have found your common sense, please come in; lunch will be ready shortly." She turned away and started into the house, but stopped, "Don't step foot in my house any of you, with that dog-cat nonsense. You're civilized and she's civilized so act like it." With that she disappeared into the house without another word.

Sighing as her mother disappeared back into the house, Kagome spun on Inuyasha. "What the hell did you think you were doing?"

He scratched his head and grinned at her. "Sorry?" he questioned more than stated.

Kagome slapped at his chest and tried not to laugh at his antics, but she couldn't help it. "You're an idiot," she giggled hitting him again before he pulled her into his arms and kissed her on the forehead.

She sighed into his chest, raised her head and kissed the side of his neck. "You are without a doubt, a full-out idiot, you know that?"

He chuckled huskily, his heart racing in his chest from the adrenalin pumping through his veins she was sure, before he responded, "Yeah, I am, but I'm your idiot, wench."

She leaned back away from him and smiled up at him. "You better be."

Souta shuffled up to them then, a glare on his face. "You are going to apologize to her, right?"

Inuyasha glanced at him and grinned, but didn't comment as he scooped her up, tossed her over his shoulder, and started towards where Rin and Sesshomaru were standing talking quietly.

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

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Inuyasha leaned back on the couch and rubbed his belly, his other arm draped over the back of the couch in Kagome's mother's living room.

He hadn't meant to spend the entire day here, but every time he thought about going back to the hotel, he couldn't make himself leave her here. Then when he'd think about asking her to come with him, he'd look at her and she'd laugh at something stupid her brother or the wet-cat said, and he'd feel bad about taking her away from her family.

He knew that with the doubts he was now having with regard to his decision about claiming her, it was probably best that he start putting some distance between them, but he just couldn't do that…he didn't want to. Regardless of whether she ever accepted him as her mate, she was his mate; there wasn't a damn thing he could do about that now.

Sesshomaru and Rin had left shortly after they'd finished eating lunch and Rin had apologized for the millionth time on his and Sesshomaru's behalf, but mostly his behalf because he was the one that chased the damn cat up the tree. He was actually more than a little surprised when Sesshomaru got involved to tell the truth, because his normally stoic brother had never really had a penchant for attacking animals of the feline persuasions. At least, not since he'd reached his teenage years.

Inuyasha would've liked to say that he was sorry, but he wasn't, so he didn't. The heifer deserved it for all of the derogatory shit she'd been mumbling under her breath about him and his brother and their kind. Under normal circumstances, he nor Sesshomaru would have stooped to such uncivilized antics, but there was only so much chiding that one person could take.

Even after they came in the house to sit down for lunch, the wench had continued with her ass backward comments, and snide remarks. The humans couldn't hear most of what was being said, but he and Sesshomaru had heard every freaking word she mumbled under her breath.

The only reason why they, well, he hadn't done anything except make a few comments of his own, was because of Kagome's mother.

Speaking of which, he had to wonder-not for the first time-if he'd ever get a chance to live this down with her. She'd caught him groping her daughter, he'd crushed her roses, and he'd chased her son's girlfriend up a goddamn tree; it couldn't really get any worse could it?

_Probably not, but I'll never be able to live this shit down, _he told himself. _First impressions suck!_

The hanyou closed his eyes, inhaled deeply and rub his flat full stomach. He knew he shouldn't have eaten thirds, but the damn woman could cook and it had been entirely too long since he'd had a real home cooked meal. Rin's meals didn't count, because she didn't and couldn't really cook anything but breakfast, Hoko did the real cooking. But Kagome's mom, she cooked everything from scratch.

_I have to ask her to teach Kagome, _he decided quickly.

His stomach bubbled and he sat forward, pushing out his chest to allow a low burp to escape, and then he sighed in relief.

"Inuyasha?"

The hanyou looked up and wondered why it was that the woman had never formalized his name in the same manner that everyone else did. Surely, she knew who he was.

Brushing his thought off, he looked up and in the direction that her voice was coming from. "Yes?"

"Would you like dessert?" Kagome's mom asked, and he groaned inwardly.

"What did you make?" he questioned just being civil since he knew he couldn't eat another bite even if he wanted to.

"Daigaku Imo with honey and cream dipping," she called back to him.

"Crap," he hissed.

That was his favorite dish, but he hadn't had it since before his mother passed away. Rin had tried to make it a few times but she always fried the sweet potatoes too long, or cut the chunks too big or too small. Maybe it was just that he knew his mother wasn't cooking it, he didn't know, but they never smelled quite right, not like they did now that he thought about it.

Kagome appeared in the doorway, a plate in her hand and a smile on her face. Shuffling over to him, she sat the plate down on the center table and took a seat next to him.

Glancing down at the plate, he could feel the saliva building in the back of his throat and reached down and pushed the plate away.

"What's wrong?" she questioned concernedly.

"Nothing, I'm just way past full, Wench."

She giggled and picked up the chop sticks. Picking up one of the golden colored potatoes, she then dipped it into the little dipping cup and brought it up to her mouth. Biting off half of it, she held out the other piece for him to take.

He leaned back away from it, but she leaned forward and pleaded while holding the morsel of food to his mouth, "Please, if you don't she'll be insulted."

"But I'm full," he whined.

"Tell you what, take this little bite and I'll package the rest of this up for you to take with you back to the hotel."

He grinned at her and leaned forward taking the potato into his mouth without a second thought. It melted on his tongue, tickled the top of his gums and his jaws locked and unlocked. It was just as he'd remembered his mother making it.

Swallowing, he declared, "Damn, babe, your mom can cook her ass off."

Kagome grinned. "Is that even possible?"

"What?" he questioned not really paying attention to her as he leaned forward and picked up another chunk of potato. Dunking it into the syrupy goodness, he popped it in his mouth.

"Somebody cooking so good, that they cook their asses off, of course."

Takahashi rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean."

The phone rang loudly in the kitchen, but he paid it no mind as he reached down and picked up another lump of potato and popped it in his mouth. "You hash to leark how to kix dis," he told her around a mouth full of sweet potato.

Kagome laughed again . "And why is that?"

He wondered absently how in hell she knew what he's just said, because to his own ears it sounded like complete nonsense. He brushed that thought off.

"Because," he swallowed and looked at her seriously, "if you don't, I'm going to move in with your mom."

Kagome pushed against him with her shoulder and reached down to snatch one of the sweet potatoes. The hanyou slapped her hand away and picked up the plate, pulling it to his chest and out of her reach as he spun away from her. "Get your own, wench!"

"Give me one," she demanded seriously.

"No, get your own!"

"Inuyasha," she chastised.

He grinned back at her over his shoulder and stuck another treat in his mouth. "No!"

She narrowed her eyes at him and pushed to her feet as if she was going to leave, but instead jumped at him almost knocking the remaining treats from his hands. The hanyou pitched forward holding the plate steady. Just as she was about to swing for them again, her mother's voice sang out from the kitchen, "Kagome, phone!"

She growled in annoyance, and plunged at the plate again.

The hanyou stood quickly to his feet and held the plate over his head. "Not on your life!"

"But-" she started to say again, but was caught off when her mother called her a second time.

Watching her go as he swallowed the last of what he had in his mouth, he stated, "Oi, fix me and Sesshomaru a to-go bag; he's going to shit when he tastes this! It's just like my mom used to make!"

She fanned her hand at him dismissively and disappeared around the corner and into the kitchen. He couldn't help but to chuckle as he flopped back down on the chair across from where he had been sitting and commenced to finishing off the remaining perfectly sliced sweet potatoes.

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

"Selfish, greedy heathen," she hissed as she stomped back into the kitchen. Her mom shot her a look but didn't comment as she passed her the receiver and went back to what she was doing.

"Sis, are you alright?" Souta questioned, pushing back from the table and closing the book he'd been reading.

"I'm fine," she snapped, "He's just…" Kagome growled, her hands going to her hips the receiver totally forgotten. "He wouldn't let me have just one! I swear he's a pig and he calls me Miss. Piggy!"

Souta laughed and Nola rolled her eyes as she intoned, "All you need to do is get a rolled up newspaper, I bet it would work wonders on him."

"Kitty needs a bath?" she heard Inuyasha shout teasingly from the living room before he came shuffling around the corner ,the empty plate in his hands, and one clawed finger shoved in his mouth.

Nola hissed at him, and he growled right back at her.

"None of that!" her mother told them both, looking up from the pot she was stirring.

Kagome stepped between the table and Inuyasha, her eyes narrowed. "Don't make me get the newspaper or do I need to put a muzzle on you?"

The hanyou grinned, holding out the plate for her to take. "I'd like to see you try either one of them, Wench."

"A muzzle, why didn't I think of that?" Nola questioned. "No, a leash. A really short leash."

Inuyasha growled low at the cat demon, and Kagome grimaced and turned to Nola. "Stop antagonizing him, Nola, or I'll get the hose for you."

"Enough you two! Goodness," her mom said in an exasperated tone. "You two are acting like…"

"A cat and a dog," Souta finished for her, his tone exasperated as well.

"Oi, who's on the phone?" Inuyasha questioned, pulling her attention away from the conversation starting up at the table.

Glancing down at it, she blushed having forgotten about it totally. Putting the receiver to her ear, she stated quickly, "Sorry, hello."

"Hey, are you dressed?"

_Dressed for what, _she thought, her eyes searching the room absently and landing on Inuyasha's inquisitive one. "Who is this?"

"Oh, you just hurt my feelings! This is Yuka! Don't tell me you forgot that we're going out tonight."

Her last conversation with Yuka came flooding back to her, and Kagome's heart sank. She'd forgotten all about it. When she'd told her that she would go out with her, she hadn't known that Inuyasha was going to be in town, and truthfully now that he was, she really didn't want to be anywhere he wasn't.

"Oh, Yuka, I'm sorry, I did. I completely forgot."

"Well, it's not too late, Kagome, we still have an hour or so before things start to jump off. Go get dressed," the girl said without meandering.

Kagome tried to look at anything and everything except Inuyasha's questioning gaze. How was she supposed to handle this now? She couldn't just leave him to go hang out with her friend, but she didn't want to just blow Yuka off either. They hadn't actually spent any quality time together and she'd promised her.

"Yuka, I can't, I have company. I'm so sorry," she told her sadly.

Yuka was quiet for a long moment before she whined, "That's so not fair. I've been looking forward to this all week. We didn't get to spend anytime together, and yes it was my fault but… Kagome please, I want us to hang out like we use to before you go."

"Yuka…" she trailed off not sure of what to say next.

"We won't stay out long, I promise," Yuka continued in a pleading tone.

Kagome ran her hand down her face and released a sound caught between a growl and a moan. "Hold on, Yuka. Just hold on for a minute."

She set the phone down near the cradle being careful not to hang up on her longtime friend. Glancing around at her family who were all now sitting at the table locked in their own conversation, Kagome turned back to Inuyasha and pushed him backyards out the kitchen and into the narrow hallway that separated the living spaces.

"What's up, wench? Who's that on the phone?" he questioned, coming to a stop near the front door.

Kagome scratched her head. "That's my friend Yuka, the one I told you I got in a fight with."

He nodded in understanding his mouth forming an O shape. "Okay so, what's wrong?"

She opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't come up with the right words. After the way he acted last night, she couldn't really see where he'd be okay with this, but she still couldn't come up with anyway of not going out with Yuka either.

"Kagome, spit it out. What's the problem?" he questioned, his patience clearly wearing thin with her.

She inhaled and blustered, "IpromisedherthatIwouldgooutwithhertonightsinceIhadn't spentanytimewith hersinceI'vebeenhereandtomakeupforthefightthatwehad. She exhaled, and inhaled again while twisting her fingers in front of her. Taking a small step back from him, she continued, "ButwhenIpromisedherthat,Ididn'tknowyouwere goingtobehereandnow,Idon''smyfriend andIfeelIoweher,butthenIalsodon'twanttogobecauseyou'rehereand-"

"So…you're going out?" he questioned a frown on his face.

"Well," she stumbled over her words and tried again, "What do you think? I mean I don't want to, but I don't want to hurt her feelings either."

"And this is the girl that you slapped?"

Kagome nodded, her palms sweaty for some reason.

The hanyou shrugged his shoulders and queried, "And this whole going out thing is like you and her making up or something?"

"Yeah, but I didn't know you were going to be here. If I had known I never would've made plans with her."

Inuyasha looked at her for a long moment as if he was trying to decipher whether she was lying or telling the truth, but he didn't say anything.

She sighed softly and turned away heading back to the phone. "Don't worry about it, I won't go," she told him softly, her tone despondent for reasons she couldn't quite understand, since she could've sworn that she really didn't want to go in the first place.

Inuyasha grabbed her hand, stopping her. She spun back to face him as he stated quietly and with another shrug of his shoulders, "Go out with her. You made these plans before I even knew I was coming. Besides, this is your friend. Go, make up with her. Do what you gotta do."

Kagome stepped towards him slowly. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," he confirmed with a frown like he didn't understand why she would think that he wasn't sure.

"And you're not going to be mad about this later and try to get me back?"

He laughed at that and placed an X over his heart as he declared, "Cross my heart, Wench; it's cool."

Kagome looked at him for another moment before she stepped towards him and tipped up on her toes kissing him once, twice, three times slowly. "You're alright sometimes, Takahashi."

He chuckled, his arms encircling her waist and pulling her closer. "Where are you guys going?"

"I don't know, really. Yuka said it was some new lounge that recently opened, but she promised me that we wouldn't be out long."

He nodded and smiled that mischievous grin of his as he questioned, "So you want me to help you pick out something to wear?"

Kagome blushed and stepped back away from him. Twirling on the ball of her feet she stated, "Of course," as she disappeared around the corner and back into the kitchen.

As she picked up the receiver and placed it back to her ear, she noticed absently that Inuyasha hadn't followed her, but she brushed that away as she stated, "Yuka, sorry about that."

"About time! What did you have to do, ask your mom's permission?" the woman joked.

Kagome laughed. "Something like that, anyway I'll go, but I want to be home no later than 12, okay?"

"You'll probably be home way before that, especially if the crowd is whack."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Kagome quipped as she watched Inuyasha step out of the darkness of the hallway and into the kitchen. "What time are you coming?"

"I'll be there in an hour."

After taking in the way that Inuyasha was leaning against the door jam, his hands in his pocket, and his head down as if he was concerned about something, Kagome told her, "Leave your house in an hour and half."

"Why?"

"Just do it," she ordered, "I'll see you then." She hung the phone up and turned to her mother and brother. "I'm going out for a little while with Yuka, okay?" Not waiting for any kind of answer she turned and trotted over to Inuyasha. Grabbing his hand, she pulled him out of the kitchen, down the hall and up the stairs to her room.

"Kagome, what are you doing," he questioned softly as he climbed the last of the stairs and turned down the hallway to her room following behind her.

She didn't respond until she tugged him into her room and closed the door behind them. "I'm getting dressed and you're helping me." She stepped across to her dresser clicked on the radio and turned it up a few decimals before she turned back to him. "Take your pants off."

"What?"

She reached down, pulled the ends of her shirt up over her head and dropped it on the floor beside the bed. "Take your pants off, Baka, we only have thirty minutes before I seriously have to get dressed."

"I will not," the hanyou avowed. "Your mom, your brother, and the damn cat are downstairs. If the humans don't hear us, that damn cat will."

"So," she snapped, tugging off her bra and tossing it across the room.

"You're nuts!"

She stepped towards him then, her movements slow, methodical, and almost hypnotizing. Running her fingers down his covered chest to the ties that held his linen slacks, she tugged slightly and allowed her hand to slip into his waistband, past his boxer briefs, and unto the warm flesh of his member.

He sucked in a deep breath of air and stepped back until he was flush against the door of her room. Kagome smiled softly up at him, gripped his member in her hand and jacked it slowly up and down in a circular motion while tipping up on her toes.

She kissed him once. "I'm not nuts." She kissed him twice slow, deep, nibbled on his lower lip and inhaled each breath that he exhaled. "I'm in love," she whispered as the floor slipped from beneath her bare feet.

**Until Next Time**…(Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated!!)

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Next Chapter: **Hello**

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**Acknowledgements:** (Being lazy, so I listed everyone here!!)

_Wolfsin ~ Jenni ~ DarkPrincess-Adidas ~ Tazzy ~ Kayla ~ Kinky-Hoe ~ Janet's A Heart Broken Angel ~ Annon ~ Kimiko Sakaki ~ Ivellios ~ Joyouki ~ lvl Inuyasha lvl ~ Kai Kuran ~ HollisterGirl29 ~ ~ Say0mi Saki ~ InuKaglover97 ~ Island Heart ~ Bzee10 ~ HeidiBax ~ Kawaii doggie ears ~ lilyx13 ~ The Dreaming Soul ~ PunkLover ~ TiffanyM ~ Irish Indy ~ Nozome ~ Moonlight Showers aka InuKag Fan ~ Jin ~ InuSoul ~ Piciepuff101_

_**It's because of all of you that after all this time I'm still here doing this when there are so many other things that I should be doing!! Thanks guys, and please stay blessed!!**_


	58. Hello

**A/N:** As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness! Sorry for the wait, but I'm damn near close to getting paid for this…(snickers)!! Anyway, here's the next chapter and thanks for your patience and your continued support. As always, thanks to my wonderful beta, Neko, for a job well done!! Where the heck would I be without you, woman?

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**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership of anyone with the exception of Nya, Nola, Dinshu, Maki, Moki, Takira, Dr. Aikio, and Dinshu!! All others belong to the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi!!

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**Chapter 58:**

**Hello**

Kagome tugged at the ends of her waist length, black suede blazer uneasily as she glanced around the dimly lit setting that was indeed a club regardless of what her overly excited friend said to her.

If it hadn't been for the neon sign that hung over the door of the establishment, which read, _"pLace"-_spelt just like that- she would've sworn that Yuka was bringing her to a dingy warehouse to sell her organs to the highest bidder. However, upon entering through the double steel doors all her thoughts of turning and running fell away.

The place was eccentric, beautifully decorated, and stretched out before her eyes as far as she could see. The walls were draped in a white mesh material that rolled upward across the pipes that ran the length of the ceiling. At equal intervals, the sheets would combine in the center of the ceiling around a large golden looking disco ball.

Kagome tore her eyes away from the ceiling, not wanting to seem like a tourist in her own hometown, and stepped deeper into the facility, and passed the bouncer that hadn't even bothered to check her ID or ask her for any cash.

She stopped short, her breath hitching in her throat. The room was lined with beds…beautiful king sized beds that were canopied in more of that white sensual material.

Some of the canopies were closed, but she could see the silhouettes of people behind them. She could see one couple kissing, the woman sitting on top of the guy. She tore her eyes away realizing all too quickly what they were probably doing or about to.

She turned her attention back to the room before her and slowly took in the red velvet rope that ran the length of the room until she couldn't see it anymore and came back up the other side, stopping just after the row of beds to her right.

She decided quickly that this rope was what separated what had to be VIP from the sitting areas that surrounded the large mirrored dance floor in the middle of the room.

_I'm sure glad Inuyasha didn't put me a skirt, _she thought while running her hands down the length of the denim straight legged jeans.

Glancing to her right and left in search of Yuka, who wasn't there, Kagome then turned her attention back to the room before her. The club wasn't packed, but there was definitely a pretty nice crowd meandering about.

She took a step deeper into the room past another set of double doors, absently wondering where Yuka had disappeared to and why the bouncer hadn't bothered to ID her or make her pay. She brushed that to the side as her eyes lit on a bar that was sprawled across the left side of the room lined with what appeared to be glowing green and yellow bottles of every kind of liquor known to mankind.

Stepping up to the bar, she ordered, "Double martin, please."

The shirtless wannabe Adonis with a perfect smile, splendid muscled biceps, and mouth watering abs that dipped into his low rider loose fitting jeans winked at her in a flirtatious manner. She smiled, knowing that if she hadn't had Adonis himself-in all his glory-waiting for her back at his hotel room, this guy would've certainly been her type for the night.

Kagome blinked and looked away from him, her thoughts going back to earlier that night. Her and Inuyasha in her room… She on her knees before him… He behind her whispering things she still didn't understand as he undulated into her repeatedly… The feel of his mouth on her as he tried to muffle her screams of pleasure as she orgasmed timelessly… The hesitant look in his eyes as he redressed, and then stepped to her closet to pull out what he wanted her to wear that night…

She dug into her purse without thinking about it. There was something hidden in his eyes. It had been there from the moment he'd found out that she was going out and remained there as he kissed her bye and told her that he'd leave a key at the front desk of his hotel for her.

Deep down she knew he hadn't wanted her to go out, but for some reason he hadn't been able to tell her not to. Didn't he understand that if he told her not to, she wouldn't? Didn't he understand that his happiness was just as important, if not more so than her own? Didn't he understand that the love that she felt for him wouldn't allow her to make him or want to see him unhappy?

The phone rang twice before it was picked up and she stated softly while shoving her finger in her other ear so that she could hear him better, "Miss me?"

"You have to ask?" he questioned, his tone husky.

Kagome sighed and glanced around the club. "Well, if it makes you feel any better there's not a soul in Japan that could take me away from you."

He chuckled. "That's always good to know." He shifted as if he was sitting up and he questioned, "Where's your friend?"

"I don't really know. The minute we got out of the car, she disappeared on me."

"I see," he intoned, "So, you want me to come get you?"

Kagome giggled. "Nah, she's somewhere around here, but keep your phone close, I have a feeling that I will eventually have to ditch her or she'll ditch me."

He snorted and she heard what had to be the sliding glass door to his room slide open. "Did I wake you?"

"Nah, I was just laying on the couch staring at the ceiling wondering why the hell I told you I was okay with this."

"Inuyasha?"

"It's fine, Wench," he told her seriously, his voice sounding lethargic, "You've just got me a little spoiled is all. I'm not really use to you and friends and clubs and shit, but I won't throw a tantrum, I promise."

The bartender caught her attention and winked at her as he set her drink down on a napkin in front of her. "Thank you; how much do I owe you?" she questioned softly

He grinned then and leaned towards her. "It's on the house," he replied with another wink.

"Why? I can pay," she stated removing the phone from her ear partially and starting to dig in her purse.

"Your friend took care of everything," he told her, "She said you guys were celebrating old friendships or something like that." He stepped back from the bar, his hand running the length of his chest over his flat abdomen to his eye catching belt buckle that was lined in rhinestones with gold letters that read 'RIDER'.

Kagome looked at the guy for a long moment before shrugging and turning away, her drink in hand. "Well, thanks I guess," she replied over her shoulder.

"Who was that?" Takahashi questioned her hesitantly.

Kagome smiled to herself and took a sip of a drink. "The bartender. He said that I didn't need to pay because Yuka has taken care of everything."

"Well, that was nice of her."

"Yeah, thing is it's actually kind of weird, because Yuka doesn't have money to just throw away. I mean, hell, I don't have money to throw away either, but I have more than she does."

He laughed. "Do you want some of mine?"

"I'm being serious, Takahashi. This is kind of weird. I didn't even have to pay to get in or anything."

"Maybe she came into some extra cash and wanted to do the right thing after that little spat you guys had," he told her. "Just let it be what is, Wench, and stop trying to read into everything like you normally do."

Kagome took another sip and decided that he was right as he always seemed to be when it came to things like this.

"But the minute you start to feel weird, or whatever, call me and I'll come get you."

Kagome laughed, "You'd love that, wouldn't you?"

He didn't waste any time responding to her, "Yes…yes I would; very much so."

She was just about to respond when a pair of skinny arms encircled her neck and pulled her back. Kagome screeched and spun, her drink and the phone almost flying from her hands.

"Hey sexy!!"

"What the hell?" Kagome chastised, her face rosy red from fright.

"Are you alright?" Inuyasha asked the moment she put the phone back to her ear.

"Yeah…yeah, that was just Yuka being silly."

Yuka danced around her as she wagged her finger and pointed at the cell phone.

Kagome groaned, annoyed and stated into the phone, "Baby, I have to go. Mother Yuka is telling me that I can't be on the phone here."

Inuyasha was quiet for minute and then stated calmly, "Yeah, okay, whatever, call if you need me, okay?"

"I will; love you."

"Love you too, Wench," he told her quickly and she closed her phone and sighed before shoving the phone into her purse again.

Turning back to face her once missing friend, Kagome growled at the grinning woman, "Where the hell have you been, Yuka? I've been standing here looking like-"

Yuka fanned her hand dismissively and threw her arms around her, hugging Kagome again. "We'll have none of that chastising crap tonight! And no more lovey-dovey phone calls! This is about fun, fun, fun!"

Kagome shook her head and narrowed her eyes at her friend who had already twirled on her heels and stepped to the bar.

"Riku, give me a Lover's Lump! Double the lumps!" she stated leaning so far over the bar that Kagome could see her bare ass. As sad as it was to admit, Kagome really couldn't even pretend to be surprised that the woman wasn't wearing panties.

She knew what she, herself, had on wasn't something that could be considered day wear, but Yuka made her feel like a nun!

"Well friend let's do this," Yuka stated, stepping up next to her, her drink in her hand.

Kagome rolled her eyes and looked away from the sultry woman.

"Look, tonight is all about the fun, okay? No moping around, or show boating, or acting stuck up! It's just you and me!" Yuka sang, grabbing her hand and tugging her along behind her.

"Yuka!"

"Relax," she called back.

Kagome stared at the back of her friend's short pixie styled hair and wondered just why the hell she'd allowed her to trick her into coming here. She could've been at the hotel with Inuyasha or home with her family.

She noticed absently that Yuka was pulling her towards the row of beds that were further down the room out of sight from the front door. "Where are we going?"

"VIP," she responded with a wink over her shoulder. "I told you I wanted to make it up to you didn't I?"

"Yuka?"

Yuka dropped her hold on her hand and turned to face her. "Kagome just have fun tonight okay? No questions, alright? I just want to enjoy my friend, that's it," she declared softly, her eyes pleading.

Kagome stared at her for a long moment before she grudgingly turned her frown upside down and sighed lightly. "Fine, no complaints." She eyed the beds as she bit down lightly on her lower lip. "We're doing VIP tonight?"

Yuka stepped back, one hand coming to her hip. "Yep!"

"Really?"

"All night! Free drinks! Free food! Free drugs if you want it!" she finished with a wink and smirk.

Kagome giggled and glanced around them again. "All I want is one of those beds," she told her.

"Done," Yuka said happily as she spun on her heels and danced toward the bouncer at one section of the velvet rope. She whispered something that Kagome couldn't hear over the loud music and turned, calling her forward.

The guy gave Kagome the ounce over three times before he gave an approving nod and unlatched the rope with a husky, "Bed 19". She almost felt insulted, but as she turned and glanced over her shoulder at him, she gloated at the fact that the sight of her ass actually had him entranced.

To drive her point home, she switched just a little bit harder, her hips rocking from right to left and back again almost swaying to the beat of the music thrumming through the invisible speakers that seemed to be in every nook and cranny of the oversized room.

As soon as they reached the fluffy all too inviting bed, Kagome ran her manicured nails across the white duvet, turned and sank down slowly unto it, then laid back letting her body melt into the sheets as the mattress came up to hug her. This was definitely heaven.

Yuka sprang up on the bed on the opposite side, her legs bent beneath her and Kagome rolled over so that she was on her belly, her feet still on the floor. "This is so nice, Yuka, thank you for bringing me out tonight."

Yuka giggled and took a sip of her drink. "Please, you just like the bed," she joked, a twinkle in her light brown eyes.

Kagome giggled and sat up, feeling stupid for not wanting to spend time with her close friend. Scooting over closer on the bed so that they were both kneeling in the middle of the bed, they stared out at the dance floor and the people that weren't in VIP, Kagome questioned playfully, "So, who do you have your eye on?"

"Nobody yet, but the night is still young!" She finished off her drink, set it down on the table next to the bed, and crawled off the bed that definitely needed a step stool. "Let's go dance!"

"Now! I'm not finished with my drink!"

"Please, we'll order another one when we're done. They are free after all," Yuka told her.

Kagome thought about that briefly before she downed the rest of her drink and set it on the table closest to her. "Let's do this!"

* * *

**Simonkal of Inuy**

* * *

He reached up and brushed a piece of invisible lint from his spotless black shirt, his eyes never leaving the slim, perfectly carved woman in the center of the dance floor.

Her hands over her head, her hips gyrating slowly in tune with the beat of the music playing around them. She was unknowing creating her own mystical pull that he could tell was affecting more than just him.

The guys that were once just lining the dance floor were starting to close in now and he could only grin because he knew from experience that when she danced, she preferred to do it alone.

His eyes traveled from her to her friend that was dancing just as seductively a few feet from her, and he had to nod his head in approval because she'd done exactly what he'd asked her to.

Of course, she had no idea what he had in store for either of them, because if she had, he was quite sure she would never have gone through with this little plan of his.

He'd simply told her to consider it a night out on the town on him. She wouldn't have to pay for a thing and would have free run of the club, his club, as long as she brought Kagome with her. To sweeten the deal, he told that once she had her here, he'd give her a thousand dollars for her troubles.

Kouga had seen that she was interested once he mentioned the money, but she only reluctantly agreed when he'd promised-as if that really meant a damn thing-to not hurt Kagome or do anything obscene.

He'd grinned at her at the time and told her that he had no thoughts of doing anything of the sort, but then he had to admit that he would've said anything that he thought she needed to hear to get her to go along with his plan.

_You've done good, Yuka_.

He'd made sure that for tonight only the people that he handpicked were allowed in the club. He didn't want to take any chances on any cops, wives, boyfriends or the like slipping in. This was going to be about him and Kagome and he refused to let anyone or anything get in his way.

He heard two cackling girls coming up behind him and he shifted to one side not wanting to be bumped into. The red head passed first giving him a glance that said clearly, "I'd fuck the hell out of you." He smiled at her and nodded his head. Under normal circumstances, he would've taken her up on her unspoken offer.

The scent hit him before her friend did; heavy and poignant clogging his nostrils as if someone was standing before him holding his nose closed.

Kouga coughed, pushed away from the wall that he was leaning on and rubbed the palm of his hand across his nostrils fitfully. He fanned the air in front of him with his other hand and coughed, trying to clear his nasal passage of the scent and his lungs and mouth of the taste of it.

"What the fuck!" he hissed, reaching out and gripping the girl by the back of her head and pulling her back to him. Slamming her against the wall across from him, he hissed, "What the hell was the shit you just sprayed? What the fuck was it?"

The woman was petrified as she babbled while grasping the sleeve of his shirt, "Get off me!"

He couldn't smell a fucking thing! He felt blind and deaf! He felt handicapped! He growled heatedly pulling her forward and slamming her against the wall again, "What the fuck was that shit!"

"Please Mister, let her go," the red head said coming up beside him. She grabbed his arm and tugged, but he didn't budge.

"I asked you a fucking question, didn't I?" he growled into the dark haired woman's face.

"Perfume! It was perfume that's all," the red head screamed.

He frowned and looked down at the dark haired woman. "Perfume? What the…" he released her then and stepped back wiping at his nose again. He still couldn't smell a damn thing except that and it was starting to burn. "What the fuck did you do? Spray it directly at my fucking face?"

The dark haired woman pushed away from the wall and latched on to her friend as she stated quickly, "I didn't mean to. I really didn't! I'm sorry!"

"Get the fuck out of here!" he stated to them fanning them away and then looked around spotting one of his bouncers. "Shun, get them the fuck out of here now!"

Kouga stepped back into the darkness of the narrow hallway he was standing in and turned his attention back to the dance floor where Kagome and Yuka were still dancing.

He sighed in relief. _Good no one seems to have noticed the commotion, _he thought as he eyed a waitress that he vaguely remembered fucking, walking in his direction with a tray of drinks.

As she drew closer, he reaching out and took a drink from the tray downed it, set the empty glass back down on the tray and grabbed another one. "Oi, got any coffee grounds in the kitchen?"

"I think we might," she told him, shifting the tray to her other hand. "Do you want me to get you a cup?"

"Nah, I don't drink that shit, but you could bring me a few coffee grounds in a napkin."

"Is something wrong?"

He growled at her overly helpful nature and intoned, "Just get the fucking grounds, Bitch!"

The woman that wasn't any taller or bigger than his wife glared at him for a moment, unblinking before she turned and headed back the way she'd come.

"Fuck," he hissed hating not being able to smell a good damn thing. "Shit! Fuck!" he growled. He honestly felt damn near blind! If he had to lose any of his senses, his sense of smell would be the last one that he would've wanted to give up.

"You alright, Boss?" Shun, a stout muscular human that he'd hired a few months ago asked.

"Yeah, I'm good. Did you throw those bitches out?"

"Ass to the cement," Shun advised. Sniffing, he covered his nose and asked, "What the fuck is that smell? It smells like cat piss!"

Kouga looked at the guy for a moment and then chuckled, "My sentiments exactly."

Shun posted up on the wall next to him and stared out at the dance floor. "It looks like it's going to be a slow night."

"I'm okay with that," Kouga intoned staring in the same direction Shun was. "I don't plan on being here that long anyway; just stopped in to pick up an old friend of mine."

"Really? Which one," Shun questioned conversationally, "The one in the jeans or the one in the nonexistent skirt?"

Kouga glanced at the man and thought about telling him to mind his goddamn business, but then thought better of it. This Shun guy was alright and had he been youkai, he probably would've had him as one of his right hands.

The waitress came back then and handed him the napkin. Lifting it to his nose, Kouga stated, "If you want, I can put a good word in for you with the one with nonexistent skirt, but her friend is off limits."

Shun grinned. "Really?"

"Yep, besides miniskirt chick sucks a mean dick. You should try her out," he told him as he leaned down and sniffed the coffee beans.

Shun grabbed his member through the material of his jeans and advised, "Sounds good; hook it up, boss man."

Kouga sniffed the coffee beans a few more times and felt his nostrils slowly clearing up, but he knew it wouldn't be at hundred percent for a few hours yet. Pushing that to the side, since he honestly didn't have any time to waste, he shoved the napkin and coffee beans in his pocket and stood straight, squaring his shoulders.

"I'll do you one better, my friend," he told Shun, "You're hanging with me tonight."

"Really?"

"Yep, and all you have to do is keep miniskirt entertained long enough for me and her friend to get to know one another again."

Shun stared out at the two woman, the only two woman that were worth looking at on the dance floor and he smiled. "Whatever you want, Boss. I'll follow your lead."

Kouga smirked at the guy, nodded his head in the direction of the two women before stepping out of the darkened corner and into the light. Sparing another moment to glance around the club, he then took his time stepping towards the dance floor making sure to keep out of sight of his prey. She was dancing erotically to a slow song, her arms wrapped around herself as her hips swayed to the beat silently calling him.

As they drew closer, he nodded his head towards Yuka and Shun split off from him, slipped up behind Yuka like a pro, his hands snaking seductively around her narrow waist pulling her back against his chest.

Kouga continued on his track around to Kagome and noticed as he looked up that Yuka had gone with the flow without any manner of fight, she was now looking up at him, her hips swaying against Shun's. Tearing his eyes away from hers, he stepped through a few of the guys standing behind Kagome.

For a moment he just stood there staring down at her, watching her moves, wishing that he could inhale her scent and trust that what he was smelling was really her. He reached out allowed the strands of her long black ponytail to fall through his clawed fingers and relished the soft feel of them.

He closed the distance between them, his arm slipping around her waist and pulling her back against him in one fluid motion.

She froze against him and tried to pull away from him as she attempted to turn her head in his direction, but he wouldn't let her.

She fought against him, getting angrier with each second that ticked by.

Kouga grinned and leaned down, tried to inhale the scent of her hair and cursed the bitch with the perfume for the millionth time as he leaned a little further down to the right side of her head. His mouth was so close to her ear that he could feel the little hairs tickling his lips as he whispered, "Gods, I've missed you."

_**

* * *

**_

Simonkal of Inuy

* * *

The music vanished as if she'd just gone deaf, she didn't want to believe that the voice, the breath on the lobe of her ear or the hard familiar body behind her belonged to the person she thought it did.

_No, not now!!_

She stared at Yuka, who had her eyes closed and was grinding her butt back against the guy behind her.

Kagome swallowed as the voice whispered again, his tongue flicking out over her earlobe, "Were you hiding from me?"

Her knees wanted to buckle. She felt her body falling, as her mind started to lose the grip it had on reality…her reality.

_No!!_

Her body was moving, turning in his arms against her will. She didn't want to look up! She didn't want to drown again in his oceans of blue. She didn't want to inhale his scent…cologne that he'd worn from the day that she gave it to him. She didn't want…she didn't want it to be him. Not him!!

A hand below her chin tilted her head up and Kagome shook her head slowly from right to left, unwilling to believe it even as her treacherous eyes drank him in.

She took in the masculine curve of his neck, the artfully drawn lines of his jaw line, and the curve of his full lips that were parted and saying something to her that she couldn't rightfully say that she heard. Her gaze continued upward to his blue eyes that had enraptured her on too many occasions to count.

She swallowed and tried to take a step back away from him, but he held her in place like he'd done every time that she tried breaking up with him. He held her there, his eyes staring down into hers, digging into her soul, whispering unspoken things that she didn't want to hear and really didn't care to.

She swallowed hard, and then exhaled in a slow breath as his name broke free of her lips, "Kou…ga?"

He smiled at her then as if he hadn't broken her heart, as if they hadn't been apart for just over a year, and as if he wasn't married. He smiled at her, grinning that grin that melted her heart and all she could do was stand there looking up at him wondering if this was some kind of dream.

"Dance with me," he stated more than asked and she didn't move, nod, or shake her head. She was frozen as he pulled her close again, pressed her head against his chest and began to sway his body against hers, moving them as if they were some kind of couple…two people in love.

_No. _A tear trickled slowly down the side of her face as her mind twisted backwards dipping into that dark room where she'd locked away all of her memories of him.

She subconsciously relaxed against him, her head leaning against his chest as the first memory twisted through her head. The two of them at dinner, laughing about something stupid the waiter had done.

Her eyes closed as the first sounds of music came back to her while her memories twisted into another; the two of them walking hand and hand through the mall, he carrying her bags while she held her drink to his mouth for him to take a sip.

Her mind faltered and twisted, moving months ahead in their relationship to a dark room, two sweaty bodies, rolled up tightly against each other. Words of love being whispered, promises being made that neither knew would not come through.

Kagome's arms closed around his back, holding him tight against her as another tear trailed down from her closed eyelids. Another memory came then, he standing with his back to her, she near tears begging him not to go, screaming at him that it wasn't what he thought and that she loved him and only him and would never love another.

It was their first fight and the first time that she'd told him…told any man that she loved him.

Another one came, forcing the other back into the closet in her mind. The two of them in a car driving somewhere-out of town for the weekend-she believed. She was leaning into the driver's seat, her head on his shoulder as she watched the road fly by around them.

Nothing mattered then, nothing mattered or would matter because he was hers, she'd wanted to believe that. He leaned down kissing her squarely on the crown of her head. She looked up then, a smile on her face and he kissed her lips slow, gentle, and endearing.

Her arms moved coming back to the area where their bodies met, and she balled her fist up in his shirt, another tear tracing the line of the others before it. It played like a movie, the two of them at his home on his couch, she wearing one his t-shirts while he laid half naked with his head in her lap. The movie, _The Notebook_, was playing and he was saying that it was stupid because love like that just didn't happen. She'd looked down at him and advised, "We have that kind of love." He'd thought that over briefly before agreeing with her.

The memory faded with the song and the loss of his body against her own and she looked up at him still unwilling to believe that he was there with her, that she had been in his arms like before.

Kagome swallowed and stepped back away from him. "Not right," she whispered to herself.

She was moving again, her hand in his. She looked up, saw Yuka and the guy ahead of them heading towards the bed that they vacated more than a few minutes earlier.

"Come on," he told her with a sly smile over his shoulder, and she swallowed convulsively, her feet hesitantly moving forward following him. _I'm forgetting someone. I'm…No…this isn't right, _she told herself as she followed behind him.

"Oi, get us some drinks," she heard Kouga tell the bouncer that was guarding the velvet rope.

Kouga stepped back pulled her forward and allowed her to pass before him. She moved lethargically as if trudging thru mud or walking on ice. She shouldn't be here with him, she knew that, but…but…

Yuka climbed up on the bed, pulling her new friend with her, and Kagome looked at her desperately begging her to look back at her, but she didn't. She needed to get away from him so she could think straight, so she could…

Her thoughts cut off at the feel of claws raking over the small of her back through the material of her shirt and she squeaked one word coming to mind, _Inuyasha!_

"Are you alright?" Kouga questioned concernedly.

Kagome jumped back away from him and said, "I need to go to the bathroom." Not waiting on permission, she damn near jumped over the velvet rope, dashed down the side of the building and disappeared under the neon sign that read "Tramps".

She didn't see the sneer on Kouga's face or see him push Yuka behind her while telling her to make this right or she wouldn't get a dime.

Kagome pushed through the door and leaned back heavily on it for a brief second, before dashing forward and dodging into one of the stalls away from prying eyes. Pulling her phone out of her bag, she hit redial and placed the phone to ear as tears once again started to pour from her eyes.

_**

* * *

**_

Simonkal of Inuy

* * *

Inuyasha was leaning forward, his elbows balanced on his knees as he stared at the television.

He wasn't really sure what the show was called but at 12 o'clock at night, he had to admit he found it rather interesting.

It was about the world's strongest humans. The men were doing all kind of stupid shit like picking up bricks with their dicks, and letting people punch holes through their nipples so that they could hang them from wires and shit. There was even a guy that laid down on the ground and allowed a big ass tractor trailer to run over his chest.

During that scene, he couldn't help but rub at his own chest and leaning back away from the television, because he just knew that at any moment the guys brains were going to come bursting through the top of his head.

He'd been flipping the channels, trying to get his mind off of Kagome and her friend that he couldn't help not trusting, even though he truthfully didn't have a reason not to. He'd decided that he was just jealous again because when Kagome could've been spending time with him, she was with her.

The hotel phone rang with such urgency that he jumped, cutting off his own musings. Muting the television, he picked up the cordless receiver that he'd brought out the bedroom.

"Yeah?" Sniffling greeted him and he sat up straighter, his heckles rising. "Kagome, what's wrong?"

She didn't respond, but he could hear her sobbing clearly now. "Baby, what's wrong? Talk to me."

"I didn't know."

"You didn't know what?" he questioned.

"I didn't know he was going to be here," she sniffled and he swore he heard her run her hand across her nose.

"Who are you talking about?" he questioned softly already knowing the answer.

"I was dancing and he was just there, Inuyasha. I tried to push him away; I swear I did, but he wouldn't let me go. He wouldn't let me…"

"Kagome, did he hurt you?"

She was quiet for a long moment as if calming herself. "No…no he didn't, but…but I don't want to be here. I…I want to be with you. I…" She started to cry again as she finished, "I just want to be with you." Her voice dropped a few octaves as a knocking sound echoed through the other end of the phone and she whispered desperately, "Please com…come get me, Takahashi. Come get me."

The tone of her voice tore at him, forcing him towards the door of the hotel room. One hand on the door, he turned and stated into the phone, "Where are you? What's the name of the club?"

The phone went dead in his ear and the hanyou stared down at it for a long moment, before putting it back to his ear and shouting her name repeatedly.

She didn't answer.

He hung up, dialed her cell phone number again, but the call went straight to her voicemail.

Fear so real and devastating gripped him like the hand of fate itself. She needed him! She'd called scared out of her fucking mind and he couldn't get to her! She needed him and he had no idea where the hell she was or for how long she would be there!

It was a palpable thing, twisting through his veins, forcing his heart rate to increase! His fist tightened dangerously, the thick plastic of the phone bending under the pressure he was applying to it.

She needed him!

He dialed her number again and just like before when he'd found out that she was going out, he wanted to slit his own impetuous neck for letting her security detail go the morning after he'd claimed her. "Damn it to hell," he hissed, his balled up fist connecting with the wall in front of him.

He stomped away from the door, the phone dropping to the floor as his clawed hands found his hair and yanked impatiently. He couldn't just stand here and do nothing. She was out there with that freak of an ex-boyfriend. She was there with him and she was scared out of her mind.

Sure, she didn't know what he was capable of but Inuyasha, he knew, and that knowledge drove him to the door and through it down to Sesshomaru and Rin's suite.

The hanyou knocked once, twice and the doors swung open. "Give me Rin's cell phone," he told his brother.

"Why would I do some like that," Sesshomaru questioned, leaning lazily against the door jam, his chest bare and his slacks riding low on his hips.

"Just give me her fucking cell phone," the hanyou roared pushing past his brother and stepping into the room.

Rin was sitting on the couch with one of Sesshomaru's button downed shirts on, her knees pulled up to her chest, her cheeks flushed.

Spotting her cell on the coffee table, he bent and picked it up. Shoving it in his pocket, he ordered, "Call downstairs and have them forward my calls to your room. If Kagome calls, call me immediately. Better yet, give her your cell phone number and tell her to call me."

"Brother?" Sesshomaru stated patiently, his hand resting on the hanyou's shoulder.

Inuyasha snarled, his fist clenching, his youkai roiling inside of him, twisting dangerously begging for some kind of release. "He has her," was all he could manage before he tore out the room and broke into a sprint not sure where he was going, but certain of why.

If he had to check every fucking club in this twisted fucking town, he was going to.

The hanyou scaled the inner stairs quickly and wasn't surprised when he crested the roof and found his brother already standing there his shirt that Rin was previously wearing open and blowing in the breeze, his face turned away from him and staring up at the almost full moon that hung over the starless night sky.

Inuyasha came to a stop at his brother's side; he inhaled the breeze that was twisting around him forebodingly.

He growled into it threateningly, the gold slowly draining from his eyes leaving them red as a newly punctured body and remaining that way. He squatted low inhaled again and leapt off the left edge of the building to a lower roof, racing forward only one thought resonated in his mind, _My mate!_

Sesshomaru spared one last glance at his younger brother as he vanished into the distance before dissolving into his energy form and disappearing off the right side of the building.

They'd find her, he was sure of that, but would it be too late? Would this ex of hers realize that she was already claimed and when he did what would he do?

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

The sound of knocking at the stall door jarred her and Kagome jumped and shrieked, her cell phone slipping from her hand and into the toilet bowl. She stared down at it helplessly as she watched the screen blank out.

She wanted Inuyasha to come and get her. She wanted him to, but how could he now when she hadn't gotten a chance to tell him where she was?

Kagome looked around the stall for something that she could stick into the bowl to pull her cell phone out, but found nothing.

_Shit, _she cursed silently, knowing she was not about to stick her hand into the disgusting bowl filled with piss and wads of used toilet paper. _How can women be so damn nasty?_

"Kagome," Yuka called from the other side of the door, "What's up with you? Why are you acting so…so…"

Kagome was angry now. She was angry at herself for reacting the way she did to Kouga and for shedding tears for him when she knew he didn't deserve it. She was angry because she'd allowed memories to make her forget even for a moment that he'd broken her heart in the worst way, and she was pissed at herself for allowing him for even a fraction of a moment to push Inuyasha from her mind.

"Kagome!" Yuka called again, "You're spoiling all the fun!"

Kagome squared her shoulders, lifted her head and stepped forward, her hand reaching for the latch that held the door closed.

"Kagome, come on out," Yuka stated softly.

She opened the door a crack and glanced at Yuka who was standing there smiling as if everything in the world was just perfect. She couldn't help but to wonder why she was smiling and why she didn't understand what being in such close proximity to Kouga was doing to her.

Pushing past her smiling friend, Kagome stated as she stepped up to the mirror and checked her reflection. "I'm ready to go."

"You're what? You can't be serious," Yuka retorted stepping up next to her.

Brushing her fingers over her hair, Kagome confirmed, "Oh, but I am and if you don't take me home now, I'll just call a cab."

Yuka stared at her for a long moment before she intoned, "What the hell, Kagome? What is this about?"

Kagome turned to her then and hissed, "Don't fucking act like you don't know."

Yuka stepped back. "You can't be talking about Kouga," she stated in dismay, "You can't be serious!"

"You know what, forget it, Yuka. I'll take a cab. After all, I wouldn't expect you to understand any of this." She pushed past Yuka towards the door of the bathroom, but stopped and spun on her heels. "You know if I didn't know you better, I would swear that you planned this all out!"

Yuka almost looked hurt, before her expression changed to one of anger. "What, because I'm not trying to kill Kouga on your behalf? That doesn't have anything to do with me. If it's over between the two of you then just let it go!"

"Just let it go?" Kagome bellowed.

"Yeah, let it go. You have another relationship, right? And you're happy, right? So let this go. Let Kouga go," Yuka advised softly stepping towards her. "Don't let him see that he can still fluster you like this, Kagome. If you run out of here tonight and jump in a cab then that's just going to tell him that he still owns you and he always will."

"No one owns me!"

"Then prove it to him. Sit down and have a drink with him like it's no skin off your back… One drink, Kagome and then get up and leave. We'll leave together, but don't let him run you off or freak you out like this."

Kagome stared at her friend for a long moment. She hated to admit this but maybe Yuka was right. She knew she didn't want to be with Kouga. She didn't love him like that anymore. The memories that she'd thought about were just memories that's it, and if she were honest with herself, she would've admitted that if she took the total amount of memories she had with him and divided them into good and bad, the bad would definitely outweigh the good ones.

"So what do you say, Kagome? We walk out there, our heads held high, and we have one drink with him and his friend and then we leave."

Kagome closed her eyes, inhaled deeply and decided, "Fine, but only one drink and with or without you, I'm leaving. I have no desire to be around him any longer than I already have!"

Not waiting on a reply from her, Kagome turned and started out the door missing the way her friend frowned at the back of her head.

Kagome stalked out the bathroom and down the narrow dark hallway. She knew she didn't owe Kouga a damn thing for the way that he left her and the manner in which he treated her the last time they saw each other. She knew she didn't, but Yuka was right if she let him think that he had any ounce of control still over her, he'd always be able to gloat even if it was only to himself.

She pushed her way through the crowd down the short walkway between the velvet rope and the dance floor and paused as she neared the area where their bed was located.

The bouncer opened the rope for her and she quickly eyed the guy who had been dancing with Yuka before turning her attention to the blue eyed devil that was posted up against the headrest of the bed as if waiting for someone to come and strip for him.

"Yeah, it happened when you were away," the guys said, "The cops busted in here talking about how they got a tip that we were selling drugs here."

"Really?" Kouga questioned, "I wonder why no one told me about that?" He turned his attention to her, a smile spreading over his face as she stepped up to the foot of the bed and turned, sitting down.

"Probably because we got the attorneys involved that same night and it was straightened out," the guy told him.

"Baby girl, why are you way over there?" Kouga questioned conversationally.

Kagome bristled at the pet name, but didn't respond. Instead, her head rose and her shoulders straightened as Yuka finally walked back into the area. She shot a glance at Yuka and turned her attention back to the dance floor in front of her, not really seeing it all.

She felt the bed shift and knew that Yuka had just climbed back into it. "Did you miss me?"

"As much as humanly possible," the man replied with chuckle and Kagome knew the only part of Yuka that he missed was her ass.

Kagome wanted to glance back and see what they were doing, but decided that perhaps it was best if she didn't.

"Here," Kouga offered from over her shoulder. Kagome looked down at the drink that he held in his hand and thought about just knocking it away, but instead took it without thanking him.

"I ordered them while the two of you were in the bathroom," he intoned while positioning himself so that he was sitting next to her and all too damn close. "You guys were in there for a pretty minute, is everything okay?"

Kagome glanced at him and away. Taking a sip of the drink, she rewet her parched throat and questioned snappily, "Why are you here, Kouga? What do you want?"

He laughed. "I live here. However, I should be asking you that."

Making sure he knew that this wasn't going to be a simple conversation, Kagome snapped, "Why aren't you at home with your wife?"

She heard a gasp from behind her, but she ignored it, her eyes remaining trained on him. His expression didn't waver in any direction as if he was expecting such a question.

He looked away, his face becoming serious for a moment before he put that smile of his back into place. "Have you ever made mistake, Baby girl?" he questioned, leaning towards her. Not waiting on her to answer, he continued, "Normally, I would say that I don't make mistakes, but I made a pretty big one when I let you get away."

Kagome gulped and took another sip of her drink. She hadn't expected him to be so straight forward. _That doesn't change a goddamn thing, _she told herself. Looking at any and everything with the exception of him, she stated, "What's done is done; it can't be undone."

"What if I could undo it," he stated softly, "What if I could undo everything."

_Was that hope in his voice_? she wondered.

Kagome looked at him for a long moment wondering briefly why that question just really had no effect on her. Had he said that a few months ago or a few months after their initial break-up she would have told him to just do it; do whatever he needed to so that they could be together. But now…now all it did was disgust her.

"She's your mate, Kouga, give her a little more respect than that!" She took another long sip and swallowed wondering exactly what it was that he'd ordered for her because it was delicious.

He leaned closer to her and sniffed her and she couldn't help but to wonder why the hell everyone was sniffing her.

"Kagome, listen to me. She's not my mate. She never has been, and she never will be."

Kagome scoffed and laughed out loud, before she hissed, "Let me guess; all of a sudden I'm your mate?"

"Well…"

She cut him off, "Save me the crap, Kouga. I've heard it all before and I really don't care to hear it again."

"Baby girl, I know I did some fucked up shit to you, but…" He looked away from her and then back, his eyes holding so much sincerity that had she still been the person she was when he broke her heart, she would've believed him. "…but you're the best damn thing that ever happened to me. From the moment that I let that…that woman get in between us, nothing has gone right for me. I…I…"

Kagome looked away from him, her head starting to swim just a little. She closed her eyes, tried to steady herself and advised him coldly, "It honestly doesn't even matter to me anymore." She wasn't going to fall for his lines again! Not this time, not ever again!

"Kagome?" he whispered softly as if she'd caught him off guard. He looked at her, searching her face as if he didn't know who he was looking at.

"Don't Kagome me! Did you really think that you and I could just bump into one another and I'd fall into your arms again?" Not waiting on him to answer, she finished, "Kouga, I don't want you, and I haven't wanted you for the longest time. Go home to your wife or mate or whoever. What we had is the past and that's where I intend for it to stay."

He looked at her for a long moment without saying anything and she looked away, her stomach doing flips as the world around her or was it her head started to spin ever so slowly. _Get a hold of yourself, Kagome. You just drank that fucking drink too fast, _she told herself shaking her head and blinking a few time to clear the haze that was falling over her.

She downed the rest of the drink and finished as the empty glass slipped from her hand unknowingly, "Jus…Just the fact that you're here now instead of home with her tells me that I miss…missed…a big bullet."

He grinned at her and she wondered absently if she'd just said something that was funny. Glancing around the spinning room again, Kagome closed her eyes and inhaled deeply attempting to steady herself.

Pushing to her feet, she staggered to the side almost falling, but caught herself on the post of the bed.

"Are you alright?" Kouga questioned standing up with her. He reached for her, but Kagome swatted his hand away. At least, she thought she did.

"Y…yuka…Yuka," she wanted to say more, but damn she couldn't remember for the life of her what she wanted to say. "Ready to go," she stated, holding onto the bedpost.

Yuka looked at her, her eyes narrowed slightly as she glanced from her to Kouga and back to her.

"Kagome, are you drunk off of two drinks?" Yuka asked her and she couldn't help but to wonder why it sounded like Yuka was talking under water.

Kagome shook her head. "Tired," she managed softly, her head dropping of it's own accord to her breast bone. Suddenly it was just too heavy for her neck, which honestly didn't make a lick of sense to her, but the harder she tried to lift it, the heavier it got.

Yuka was at her side then, shouting her name and Kagome wanted to answer her, she really did, but for the life of her she couldn't make her lips move.

"Kagome!"

"Move," Kouga told Yuka harshly as his hands wrapped possessively around her waist, pulling her to him.

She wanted to tell him to go away and that she'd come with Yuka so she was going to leave with her or in a cab, but her body wasn't cooperating with her. Her extremities were like noodles flopping whichever way she was moved, her tongue felt like a bloated piece of fish, and her eyes...her eyes; they were so heavy.

They shouldn't be, she realized and she tried to fight against this unnatural feeling. She tried to push it away and grasp some control back, but it was like she was nothing more than a host in her own body.

"What did you do to her?" she heard Yuka scream. "What the hell did you do to her? This wasn't part of the deal, you bastard!"

_Deal? What…what deal?_

"Shut the fuck up!" Kouga hissed at Yuka and she wondered who this man was that was holding her and why he would talk to Yuka like that when she was only trying to help.

"You bastard! You drugged her! I can't believe you fucking drugged her!" Yuka accused and Kagome could feel nails on her back, clawing at her clothes as if someone was trying to pull her away from Kouga.

"Call it my security plan," he chided, and then there was a loud slapping sound and the person tugging on the back of her jacket-Yuka she figured in her haze-let go.

_He…he hit her,_ Kagome surmised and anger boiled up inside of her. Of course, she couldn't do anything about it because her body was not her own, but oh how he was going to get it when she wasn't!! _Did he say, security plan? Security plan for what?_

She felt her body being shifted, the room moved around her quickly, her head falling back. He adjusted her, laying her head against his chest and it all started making sense. Everything that Yuka was accusing him of; it all started making sense.

"I'll go to the police, Kouga! I'll tell them what you did! I'll fucking tell them everything," Kagome heard Yuka shout from somewhere behind them.

Kouga must have turned then, stomping back towards her because he leaned forward over her and hissed, "Go to them and make sure you tell them how you tricked your _best-friend_ into coming here tonight just for a pair of ugly ass boots and a thousand dollars. Make sure you tell them that," he hissed softly, and then he spat.

_Did…did he just…just spit on her? What? Who is he? _Kagome's mind slowed to a crawl, she didn't' want to believe half of what was being said around her, but how could she not when she was being carried out by the one man she never wanted to ever touch her again, and when her body felt so relaxed that she didn't have control of it anymore.

How could she not believe it? Kouga had drugged her drink…he'd drugged her and now he was kidnapping her, taking her somewhere away from her family and from…from Inuyasha. And Yuka…Yuka was the reason why she was here tonight, she was the reason why she left Inuyasha at home and come out here.

_They were in this together. The both of them, my best friend and my ex... But why…why would Yuka do this? Why would Kouga do this?_

Cool air hit her like the force from a high powered dryer and she wanted to shiver and turn away.

He was shifting her again and then she was in a car seat. He was leaning over her, grabbing her seatbelt and fastening it around her. Her head was heavy so heavy.

_Why?_

A door slammed and then another opened on the opposite side of the car and she tried to turn her head, but once again her body was asleep to her demands.

_Why are you doing this?_

The car started, and then the night was around them, blanketing them in a dark sheet of quiet turbulence.

Her head dropped forward from the velocity of the car and he reached out setting her head back against the seat, his nails raking slowly down the side of her cheek.

"I didn't want to do it this way, Baby girl, I really didn't, but you didn't give me any other options."

_You lying bastard! You had my drink laced before I even walked out the goddamn bathroom! Of course, you meant to do just this! You wait, Kouga, you just wait! _

He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it and Kagome felt internally disgusted. She wanted to yank her hand away and jump at him clawing out his eyes.

He laughed to himself and said, "You're not going to remember any of this in morning anyway, so let me tell the whole story. Some of this you might not like, but the truth is the truth, right?" She saw him wink from the corner of her eye and she growled internally and gritted her teeth.

"I've been looking for you, you see. Even had a few guys go to Tokyo looking for you. Met a friend of yours…your assistant I think."

_Sango! Oh God he did it! Sango!!_

He chuckled as they slowed at a red light and leaned over and kissed her cheek. He leaned back, frowned as if he smelled something that wasn't right, but he quickly brushed whatever thought he was having away and continued, "I almost had you in Tokyo, did you know that? Well, I guess almost isn't good enough, isn't that what you always told me?" He laughed. "Anyway, Din fucked it up and ended up getting tossed out a fucking window. I know you remember that part." He patted her knee gently. "Don't worry; I'm not upset about that." He smiled at her and finished, "You have to remind me to thank your friend. Maybe after you come to your senses, we'll send him a thank you note. What'da ya think?"

Inside she was crying, screaming and not wanting to believe half of what she was hearing. When Inuyasha had said that he thought Kouga had something to do with this…when anyone said that he had something to do with that mess that went on in Tokyo, she'd taken up for him. Up until now, she would've bet her life that he didn't have a hand in it.

Sweat was beading up on her brow running down the dip between her breasts and trailing down her spine.

He started talking, his voice flowing like liquid velvet, but she couldn't understand a thing he was saying. It was like her ears were clogged with water, forcing her mind to drift further and further away from the present.

She tried to swim back through it…to hold on to some semblance of reality but the more she tried, the further she felt herself going into the blackness…into that eerie quiet at the back of her mind.

She struggled against it, screamed in her head, and prayed to the gods to send someone to help her…to save her.

Time dragged on or was it speeding up? Seconds were turning to minutes and minutes to hours, but she couldn't be sure of that either. All she knew was the darkness that wrapped around like the fingers of a specter, pulling her down slowly, drowning her…suffocating her and weighing heavily on her chest as if someone was standing on her breastbone forcing the life out of her slowly.

Her eyes couldn't focus on any one thing. Lights ran into one another, shapes twisted onto the other blurring in and out of focus. Her eyes closed against her will and at that moment she felt her body…her skin begin to melt like warm caramel over cold ice cream.

The epidermis fell way as if she was a snake shedding for the upcoming spring season. The dermis was the next layer to go; it floated away on a breeze that she couldn't feel, and then the last layer…the hypodermis fell away as if she had just stripped out of her clothing baring her soul for all to see.

Her heart slowed…

Her breathing grew lethargic…slow…almost nonexistent.

The ability to think…

The ability to hope…

The ability to fear…

She was gone.

**Until Next Time…** (Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated!! FYI: It only gets darker from here, so if there was ever a time for you to take a sedative, it would be now. You have been warned. So, keep your flames and threats to yourselves.)

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**Next Chapter:** Tempered

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_**Acknowledgements: (Holy crap, it took 57 chapters for this fic to finally top Confrontations in reviews? Wow, I think I need to go back and reread my favorite baby one last time before I delete it! Mistakes and all…lol)**_

_Crazedfan213 ~ The Dreaming Soul ~ Wolf69 ~ Joyouki ~ XxInume-TakahashixX ~ WolfSin ~ Saikoubi-Megami ~ Ivellios ~ DarkPrincess-Adidas ~ Moonlit Showers aka InuKag Fan ~ Island Heart ~ HollisterGirl29 ~ ya1ya ~ Jin ~ Bzee10 ~ Nozome ~ xXKimiko SakakXx Blackrose13 ~ Say0mi Saki ~ PunkLover ~ IvI Inuyasha IvI ~ Kinky-Hoe ~ Inuyashafreak-o-tron ~ Mars Rose _


	59. Dazed and Confused

**A/N**: As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness. This is a long one, so settle in for the ride. Oh, and thanks for your patience and for NOT throwing bricks at my bedroom window…lol. Neko, my wonderful beta, you did an outstanding job as always!! Thanks!!

There is only one kind of person that I despise more than I do a snitch, a person that willfully steals someone else's work and tries to pass it off as their own. That's right a plagiarizer. I don't understand why a person would do such a thing, seriously I don't. Isn't it more important to write crap and know that it's yours rather than to steal someone else's work and receive hoorays, and bonsais' for it? Then again, maybe it's just me. On a more serious note, and I'm not pointing any fingers at this time, if anyone that is reading this is considering copying and pasting anything that I've written, I'm warning you now, the only thing that's going to come out of it is an enemy for life. So, please don't do it.

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**Disclaimer**: I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, Nola, Dinshu, Takira, Gage, Dr. Aikio, the Spinx, and Hoko. All others belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

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**Chapter 59**

**Dazed and Confused**

The teapot squealed loudly in the small kitchen, but the occupants-none of them-seemed to hear it.

Souta stood at the backdoor staring out into a space that he didn't really see, Nola sat quietly beside her soon to be mother-in-law in case the woman broke down, and the woman in question sat inert, her fingers intertwined with one another as she stared down at the phone on the table before her.

She glanced away from the phone momentarily and at the clock that hung over the kitchen sink, her heart sinking with every minute that trickled by. _She's fine, _she told herself again for the millionth time since she'd gotten the call at 4 that morning from Takahashi Inuyasha.

At first, she'd told him that he was overreacting and that Kagome was fine; she always hung out late when she went out with Yuka. He'd quieted her when he told her that Kagome had called him crying for him to coming pick her up, but the phone went dead before she could tell him where she was.

Sure that upset her, but it wasn't until he said that Kagome had hinted that Kouga was in the club with her. She didn't understand why, but for some reason just the mention of Kouga's name was enough to send shivers down her spine and make the already disheveled hairs on her head stand on end. She wasn't sure if it was fear that she thought her only daughter would be stupid enough to fall back in with the dastardly demon, or if she was just afraid because of the anxiety that she could feel rolling through the hanyou as he talked to her via the phone. Whatever it was, the feeling hadn't lessened as the hours passed; it only grew stronger and delved deeper into the crevices of her heart and mind.

Nola moved from beside her and the squealing…that annoying squealing stopped and she was thankful, but she didn't move from where she sat.

She glanced at the clock again. _9:45 in the morning and she's still not home. _She turned from the clock, reached to pick up the phone and was stopped by the sound of her son's masculine voice.

"Who are you calling, Mom?"

She stared at him for a moment almost not seeing him, before a soft smile broke over her face. "I was going to check for a dial tone."

Souta turned to look at her then, a patronizing expression on his face before he turned back to staring at nothing. "It's working, Mom. Besides, do you really want to be on the phone if she tries to call?"

She sat back, her eyes trained on his masculine bare back. The manner in which his sinewy muscles rippled up and down in a perfect dance around one another mesmerized her. _When did he grow up? Was I sleeping these last ten years? _She tore her gaze away from him and glanced over at the beautiful demon girl that had become almost more than a daughter to her.

Nola was moving around the kitchen as if it were her own or as if she'd lived everyday of her life in the home. Her movements were so fast, so smooth that she seemed to be gliding or rather floating. She made no sounds. There wasn't a clink of the cups against the tray or the clank of the spoon against the ceramic serving kettle as she stirred a small amount of honey into the brewing tea.

Mrs. H. turned away from her and sighed as she reached for the phone again. _She will make a wonderful wife and mate for him, _she told herself as her hand came to rest against the cool plastic of the cheap phone that she purchased too many years ago.

"Mom, wha-" Souta started to say, but stopped.

Nola'a hand rested on her shoulder with a gentle squeeze, no words leaving her lips and Mrs. H. hesitated for fraction of a second before she pulled her hand back with a soft, "I'm sorry, I just…I just…" She sniffled and wiped at her eyes, catching a tear before it gained any real momentum. "Where is she?" she whispered to everyone and no one. "Where's my baby? Why hasn't she called or come home yet?" She looked up at Souta who had his head turned away from her, but she could see the simmering anger and rage within in his tightly wrapped body.

"Mom," Nola began while setting the tray down on the table before her, "She's fine. Maybe she was drunk so she slept at Yuka's house. Maybe…maybe…"

Souta growled low his head dropping, his fist clenching, but he didn't say anything.

Mrs. H. tore her gaze away from her son and smiled up at the helpful, optimistic girl, whom she knew was simply reaching for some explanation that would make all of this okay and she loved and adored her for that. Unfortunately, deep down in the very pit of her now barren womb, she knew better. Something was wrong; very, very wrong. Her daughter was out there somewhere and she wasn't okay. If she was, she would have at the very least called Inuyasha and checked in. She would've called her or Souta, but she hadn't.

"I bet she'll be walking through that door at any moment with a smile and apologizing for making us worry," Nola said, sounding just slightly more chipper but not enough to fool anyone.

"Maybe you're right," Mrs. H. told her as she leaned forward and lifted one of the cups to her lips. "I pray to the gods that you are."

Souta grunted out something then, his fists connecting with the screen door forcing it to swing violently open and he was gone.

"Souta," she heard Nola whisper as she stood to her feet preparing to go after him, but hesitating because she wanted to stay with her as well. She knew why she wanted to go after him; it wasn't that she wanted to, she needed to. There was a pull unlike anything she'd ever witnessed between the two youngsters. It was palpable and strong; real and vibrant and it was lasting. "Go," she whispered, setting the cup down on the table before her again. "He needs you now more than I do. Go to him. Tell him this will be alright. She'll come home; she has to."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, go," she told the young girl again with a motherly pat on her hip.

Nola leaned in, kissed her on the cheek and turned towards the door, disappearing through it without another word.

Mrs. H. sighed as she stared up at the clock again. _9:50; now is as good a time as any I suppose, _she thought as she picked up the phone in one hand and pulled a sheet of paper out her apron pocket with the other. She dialed the first number that was scribbled there, and then placed the phone to her ear.

The phone rang, and rang, and rang before the voicemail clicked on and she left her 8th message since she'd found out that her daughter was missing, "Yuka, if you and Kagome are there please pick up. Kagome, pick-up. We're worried about you. Inuyasha and his brother have been looking everywhere for you, please call us as soon as you get this message. I love you, Honey."

She waited a few extra seconds before she hung the phone up and dialed her daughter's cell phone number. There were a few clicks, what sounded like a wheeze and just like the 20 time before when she'd called, a female voice came on telling her that the mailbox was full and to call back later.

She slammed the phone down, tears trailing out her eyes now. "I don't want to call back later, damn it! I want to talk to my daughter! I want to talk to my baby," she hissed.

Forcing herself to take a few deep breaths, she slowly began to calm down; her hands shaking as she fought away the more sordid horrific thoughts that the darker recesses of her mind wanted her to entertain. _She's fine, _she told herself, _She's just being irresponsible. _She knew that was a lie because her daughter was nothing if not responsible, but she desperately needed to hold on to that. If she couldn't…if she didn't, she'd fall apart; she knew that much.

Wiping at her face with her hand, she glanced down at the sheet of paper again. She'd already talked to Eri, and Ayumi and neither of them had seen or heard from Kagome in the last 48 hours. However, they both promised to keep trying her cell phone and to call as soon as they heard something.

Per Inuyasha's brother's request, she tried to find out from them if they knew what club Yuka was taking Kagome to. They didn't know that either and they hadn't talked to Yuka since she and Kagome had supposedly had a fight. Basically, they-as lovely as they were-were dead ends. She needed to go to the heart of this terrible situation. She needed to get answers from the horse's mouth before she involved the police and before…before she lost what little sanity she had left.

Picking up the receiver again, she glanced down at the last number on a list of four and dialed before she could talk herself out of it.

Her heart was racing within her chest as if it were going to burst through her breast bone at any moment, her stomach dropped and did a flip or two before settling somewhere near her knees; the entire time the phone continued ringing loudly in her ear.

She was about to give up and hang-up when a raspy masculine, seemingly out of breath voice spoke to her, "Yeah?"

"Nashitaku Kouga?" she questioned, standing to her feet.

"Who wants to know?" he drolled as if bored.

"This is…this is Kagome's mom. You…you used to date her about a year-"

He cut her off, his tone changing, almost becoming respectful for a fraction of a second before twisting back into that arrogant worthless tone that she remembered whenever he called the house for her daughter. "Yeah, I remember. What's up; why you calling me?"

"Well," she started, "I was wondering if you'd seen Kagome. I…I was wondering if she was with you. Maybe she…maybe she spent the night or something."

He laughed, a cold calculating laugh. "So she's missing and you call me of all people?" he taunted.

"Well, she called me last night from the club that her and Yuka went to and she was upset." She didn't want to say she called, Inuyasha, because she knew men-no matter who they were-didn't take kindly to finding out that their ex was with someone else.

"Did she?" he queried seeming uninterested, "And what does that have to do with me?"

She swallowed thickly as she coiled her finger around the cord on the phone. "She said that you were there at the club. Did she go home with you?"

He was quiet for a moment before he sighed, his tone losing just a small amount of his gusto, "Yeah, I saw her at the club. Hell me and half of the male population of Kyoto, but she didn't leave with me. She left with that bitch Yuka."

"She did?" Mrs. H. asked as if making sure she'd heard him right.

"Well, yeah. I'm married and shit. I couldn't really do anything with her even if I wanted to."

"I see," she intoned not sure if she should believe him or not. "Do you know what club they were at?"

He laughed again. This time it wasn't as cold but more obnoxious. "Isn't she a little old for this, Doll? I mean she's grown, right?"

"Regardless of how old she is, Nashitaku Kouga, she's still my daughter and staying out all night has never been something she has done! Surely, you know this!" she bit out totally annoyed at his nonchalant attitude.

"I forgot; I always had to have her home by 1 am." He laughed. "I guess things really don't change, eh?"

Feeling as if she was wasting her time, she pushed the conversation forward not wanting to waste any more time on him, "Could you please tell me the name of the club you were at with her?"

He grunted and muffled the phone briefly and she could've sworn she heard a woman's voice in the background but she didn't pay attention to that as she silently counted the seconds until he came back to the line.

"I can't be sure because I went to several clubs last night, but if I had to guess, I'd say it was The Delk on 7th or maybe Croon over on the west side."

She stepped up to the table and scribbled the two names on the sheet of paper. "Thank you so much, Kouga, I wish you and your wife all the best."

"Yeah, whatever," he responded dismissively, and then said just as she was about to hang up, "Whichever club it was that I saw her and that bitch Yuka at; they didn't leave alone. She was hanging all over some fucking Yank."

"Yank?"

"Yeah, a fucking American. Ugly as fuck and fat too, but I guess that's the type she goes for now."

More than a little taken aback by his choice of words, she started to ask him if he could tell her anything else, but he hung up, leaving her listening to the dial tone and her own thoughts. _Kagome leave with an American? That's something that Yuka would do, but not my Kagome. She…she wouldn't. Not when she's in a relationship, _she told herself as she placed the phone back on the hook and stared down at the names of the two clubs he'd given her.

Glancing up at the clock again, she mentally counted and decided that it had been 2 hours since Inuyasha or his sister-in-law had called to check in. _When he calls again, I'll give him the names of the clubs if he hasn't found her and I'll call the police. _She felt like she'd just accomplished something. She felt like she was step closer to finding her daughter.

_Wherever you are, Honey, stay safe and call home if you can._

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_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

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"I shouldn't be here doing nothing," Souta ground out as he paced over a small section of grass. "I should be out there! I should be out there looking for my fucking sister," he bellowed, his anger rising swiftly only to subside again.

"If you were out there, Souta, what would you do? Where would you go?" Nola questioned patiently as not to anger him more than he already was.

He turned and glared at her before he started pacing again. "I'd be beating down that fucker's door!"

"You don't know that he has her, Souta. You're just assuming."

"Who's side are you on, Nola?" he roared. He stepped towards her, his fist balled up. "That fucker has her! I know he fucking does!"

"If he has her…" she started, but changed her mind and stated, "Let's say she is with him; how do you know that it's not by choice."

He growled as if she was the dumbest person in the world. "She hates him, okay? She…Kagome wouldn't be that fucking stupid to go with him again. Not after what he did to her; the way he just…he just fucking tossed her to the side as if she was nothing! My sister isn't that dumb, Nola!"

She stepped towards him carefully and he stepped back just out of her reach. "Souta, please calm down. You're talking about this guy like he's some kind of monster or something."

"You met him, and you said it yourself there was something wrong with him, so don't stand here now telling me to calm fucking down when he has my damn sister!"

"All I'm saying is that you don't know for sure," she clarified. "Kagome could be anywhere right now. She could be on her way home, asleep at her friend's house, or-"

He cut her off, "Or shit! You weren't here when Inuyasha stopped by. You didn't see the fear in his eyes, Nola! And neither you nor Mom heard about the shit that went on in Tokyo just before Kagome came home, so save me the devil's advocate shit!"

She stared at him for a long moment as if trying to read his mind. She understood his pain, she did and she was just as worried as he was, but she couldn't allow herself to be as consumed by it as he was. One of them had to keep a cool head. "What happened in Tokyo?"

Souta paced a few times as if he hadn't heard her. His hands at his sides, his face set in a deep scowl, and his eyes trained on the ground before him as if he was afraid if he looked away he'd trip over a blade of grass.

"Souta, tell me what happened in Tokyo," she ordered softly.

He stopped then, his jaw clicking, showing his annoyance. "Inuyasha said that bastard had come looking for her. He'd sent two of his cronies. One acted like he wanted to warn her, but the other one, tried to rape her assistant to find out where Kagome was and when that didn't work, he tried to break into her place." He paced some more and continued, "Then while she was staying with Inuyasha, the same son of a bitch broke into his place and tried to kidnap her in the middle of the night and he almost got away with it too."

"What?" Nola gasped in disbelief. "Are they sure it was this Kouga guy."

Souta growled in annoyance. "No, they don't know it was him for _sure_, but Inuyasha thinks that he had everything to do with it since the first guy told him that Kouga was looking for Kagome, and all of this shit happened right around the same time. He also found out that while all of this shit was going on, Kouga was in Tokyo at the same fucking time!"

Nola covered her mouth, unable to believe that anyone could be so calculating and deceitful.

Souta paced for a few seconds longer before he came to a complete stop as if he'd just hit a brick wall. "I don't know if he has her for sure, okay, but what I do know for certain is that if she was okay, she would've called us or Inuyasha by now."

Nola stepped to him then, hugging him from the back. She could feel him trying to fight her, but she refused to let go. This anger…this rage that was burning inside him wasn't a good thing.

"This isn't a coincidence, Nola, it can't be. Things like this don't just happen to one fucking person over, and over and over a-fucking-gin! He has her, he fucking has her! I know it in here," he hissed while stabbing himself in the chest with his pointer finger.

"Baby," Nola whispered and she moved around him quickly and pulled him closer to her, her head resting in the center of his chest just below his breast bone. His shoulders started to shake and it broke her heart, but what more could she do? What more could she say?

Maybe they weren't overreacting; maybe Kagome really was in real danger. Maybe this Kouga person was the monster that everyone seemed to be making him out to be. Maybe… Maybe… Maybe…

His arms came up to her hips reluctantly as his head lowered to the crown of her head and she could feel the wetness of his tears as he tightened his hold on her and whispered brokenly, "Where's my sister, Nola? Where's my sister? Why hasn't she come home? Why hasn't she called?"

She had no answer for him so she just held onto him and silently prayed that this wouldn't end as badly as everyone seemed to believe it would.

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_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

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Guilt ravaged Yuka to her very core as she eyed the flashing button on her answering machine; twelve messages-six of them from her, Kagome's mom, three from Ayumi, and three from Eri.

What was she supposed to do now? She couldn't call the police because she'd have to implicate herself. And even if she didn't implicate herself right away as soon as she led them to him, that prick, he'd tell them the role she played in this…this mess!

She stood from the worn chair she'd been sitting in and stalked across her tattered Oriental rug and back towards the chair.

She'd tried to follow them, she had, but Kouga's car was so fast and new, and hers so old and decrepit.

_Damn it, _she hissed.

She'd tried to tell herself that she wasn't in the wrong for what she'd put into action; it wasn't her fault, because she didn't know what he had planned. If she had known… If she had an inkling that something like that was going to happen, she would've never gone through with it.

He'd told her that he simply wanted to see for himself that Kagome was okay. He'd said that he wasn't even going to approach her, but just watch her from the sidelines as she enjoyed herself. He'd told her that the whole night would be his treat and a way of apologizing to Kagome and to her for the way he treated the both of them.

_I should've known better! I…damn it; I should've known not to trust him!_

Her eyes fell on the boots that started this whole mess and she growled and jumped to her feet again. Snatching them up from the floor, she stomped into her tiny kitchen cove and shoved the boots into the trash can, angry tears coming to her eyes. "That son of bitch! That sorry son of a bitch," she hissed as she wiped at her eyes with one hand while she continued to force the boots into the already overflowing garbage can. "For a pair of boots," she hissed. "A pair of fucking boots!"

The boots wouldn't fit, so she grabbed a knife from the counter and started stabbing them angrily as if that would alleviate some of the guilt and pain she was feeling.

"How could I do that? How could I do that?" she chanted as she continued to stab angrily through the rich leather material of the boot and into the trash can. "How could I betray her like this for a pair of boots?"

She knew whatever Kouga had in store for Kagome wasn't good. If it was, what was the point in drugging her? What was the point of him making sure that she couldn't follow them? No, nothing good would come of this!

_He's going to rape her! He's going to fucking rape my best-friend and it's my fault! _She stab into the material again, her hand slipping down the blade but she didn't feel it. _He's going to rape her and she won't remember! She won't remember any of it because I…because I took her to that fucking club! _She brought the knife over her head again and plunged it into the waste basket not seeing the blood that was gushing from her torn hand. _She'll hate me! She'll have every right to hate me because it's my…it's my fault! I betrayed my best friend for a pair of fucking boots and a thousand dollars that I didn't even get!_

Yuka dropped the knife, picked up what was left of the boot and swung it around the kitchen. She banged it into the cabinets, the jars that lined her rarely used stove, and a canister filled with used grease.

_That son of a bitch! That fucking son of a bitch, _she hissed as she spun and slammed the boot into the counter no longer seeing the boot, but instead Kouga's grinning manipulative face, his blue lying eyes, and his deceitful mouth.

Tears were draining from her eyes, leaving tracks in her make-up and causing her mascara to run but she didn't care, she'd never care again. Not after this, not after what she'd done to the only person that tried to help her, and that truly was a friend.

Kagome had never asked her for anything. She'd done nothing but helped her every chance she got and this was how she chose to repay her? Kagome listened when she cried late at night after she'd been with some no named stranger, and she never judged her, not once. When she'd call her because she couldn't make her rent or didn't have money for groceries or to keep the lights on, she'd send her money without expecting it back, and this was how she thanked her?

Yuka stilled, her shoulders quivering uncontrollably as her head fell back and she screamed into the stark white ceiling above. She screamed, and she screamed, and she screamed for forgiveness, knowing she'd never get it; knowing that this was not something that even the gods would forgive her for.

She collapsed to the floor in the middle of her tiny kitchen not caring that she was sitting in a puddle of old grease, the knife slipping from her bloody hand and sliding across the floor away from her. She stared down at the palms of her hands, one covered in blood the other in grease and as the phone sang to life for millionth time that morning she brought her hands up to her face and wept into them.

The guilt was killing her, but she was too much of a coward to do the right thing; to go to the police or Kagome's mother and tell her the truth.

She doubled over clutching her stomach as if someone had just stabbed her as Kagome's mom, her second mother's voice, came over the answering machine, _"I just thought that I'd try again in hopes that maybe you guys were just getting in. Please call me as soon as you get there, Yuka. Kagome hasn't gotten home and no one knows where she is. I love you, Yuka, and Kagome if you're there and you're listening to this; you know that I love you more than life itself._

Yuka closed her eyes to the voice and continued to cry knowing that it was only a matter of time before Souta or the police showed up at her door wanting and demanding answers that she just could not give them.

_I'm sorry. I…I…I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. Please forgive me. Please forgive me._

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_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

Rin tipped around the hotel room, pacing as she gnawed at her lower lip. She wanted to be out there with Inuyasha and Sesshomaru doing something. She didn't want to be sitting by a phone that only rang when Inuyasha called to see if Kagome had called.

Sure, before Inuyasha and Kagome had started dated, she hadn't known Kagome all that well, but over the short time that had passed she had come to really like the woman. If for no other reason than she'd brought back life to Inuyasha's eyes.

_Gods, this is going to kill him, _she told herself, _If anything happens to her… This will destroy him. After that mess with Kikyo, he'll never survive this._

She turned, sat down on the couch and picked up the remote. Staring at the television without seeing it, she continued to gnaw on her lower lip as she tried not to think about her brother-in-law and his missing girlfriend, but failed miserably.

Glancing over at the clock that read 11:43 a.m., she moaned softly as the bottom dropped out of her belly.

_Surely Kagome would've called by now, _she told herself, _She wouldn't just stay out all night like this and not even call her mother even if she didn't call Inuyasha. I mean, sure, I don't know her that well, but based on what I know of her, she wouldn't, right?_

Rin stood to her feet again and moved quietly across the living room to the sliding glass doors that led to the balcony. Pulling it open, she stepped out on the cement slab oblivious to the cool air twisting around her.

When Inuyasha had first stormed into her and her mates' hotel room shouting about how 'he had her', she didn't have a clue as to whom 'he' was. Automatically, she'd thought that her brother-in-law was overreacting as he sometimes did, and would calm down soon.

Once she'd gotten the full story, which wasn't until a few hours later from her husband who had called to check in with her, Rin's mind automatically concocted a story about how Kagome was just out two timing Inuyasha. She didn't dare voice that opinion to Sesshomaru seeing as how he seemed just as emotional about all this as Inuyasha, and that was really saying a lot. When she considered that, it had pissed her off more than she ever wanted to admit. She'd promised herself that the next time she saw Kagome she was definitely going to get the what for from her for upsetting her family over something like this and for breaking Inuyasha's heart.

However, as the hours continued to pass, she started to think that maybe something really was wrong. She suppose that it wasn't until she'd spoken to Kagome's mother that she understood that Kagome wasn't the cheating type and that she never-ever stayed out all night without calling her. At least, not when she was staying in her mother's home, she didn't.

Still, she'd had her doubts because if Kagome was with some guy shacked up somewhere then that meant that she wasn't really in danger, right? If that was the case then it meant that she was okay and healthy and that there was a chance-though small-that Inuyasha would recover from this. Believing that really was better than believing what everyone else was telling her, wasn't it? Though sad, at least it gave her a silver lining and she simply adored silver linings.

Pushing away from the stone sculpted balcony, Rin sat down in one of the cushioned patio chairs and pulled her legs up to her chest. _Hold on to your silver lining, Rin, _she told herself, knowing that with every hour that was passing that silver lining was getting shorter and shorter. Soon even she, Mrs. Optimism and Sun Shine, would have to face the truth. Something was wrong.

The phone jumped to life and Rin sprang to her feet and dashed inside before it could complete its ring.

"Kagome?"

There was a pause and the person spoke softly, her voice cracking, "No. I guess that means that she hasn't…"

"No," Rin answered as she spun and sat on the couch, her feet tucked beneath her. "Have you heard anything?"

"No, I haven't. I was hoping that you had."

Rin couldn't stand the sadness in the woman's voice and just wanted to reach through the phone and hold her until all of this was okay. Briefly she thought, _Kagome you better be in trouble, because if you're making your mom worry like this for a piece of…I'll seriously hurt you. _Instantly she hated herself for even thinking such a thing.

Pushing her thoughts back, she stated, "Well, Sesshomaru called and said that they had checked out those two clubs you gave Inuyasha, but Kagome's scent wasn't there."

"I know, Inuyasha called me," Mrs. H. replied. Rin heard the woman sigh heavily before she continued, "Inuyasha told me to wait, but if I don't hear from her by 1 this afternoon, I'm going to have to call the police and report her missing."

A moment of silence passed between them, and Rin knew and understood why Inuyasha wanted her to wait. If she reported Kagome missing, it would make this real…too real. It would make the idea that she was just out gallivanting all over town with God knows who, nothing more than a totally fabricated dream.

Not only that, but she was the girlfriend of a Takahashi; a name that was internationally known. The media would get wind of it and they would turn the Higurashi compound and Kagome's disappearance into a three ring circus. There would be whackos coming out of the woodworks looking for handouts in return for false information with regard to her disappearance. And there would be crazies calling in saying they'd seen her when they hadn't, or talking about how she got abducted by aliens. Basically, it would do more harm than it would good.

Even knowing all that, Rin knew she couldn't tell the woman not to do it. If it were her child…one of her boys, she would've done it hours ago, and that wouldn't have been a damn thing that anyone could say to her to deter her.

"Okay, I understand."

The woman started to sob softly into the phone and Rin's heart sank and wept for her. "Higurashi-sama, I'll make the call, okay? I'm going to get dressed and come over and I'll make the call to the police at 1," she told her softly, hoping that at least that would be one weight that the woman would not have to carry. Knowing that if she were the one to make the call and if she was there when the police arrived, she'd be able to keep the Takahashi name out of the report all together.

If it was necessary and she was sure she'd have to, at least for herself, she would use one of their aliases that they used when they traveled abroad or just didn't want to be seen.

The woman's sobs quieted as she intoned brokenly, "Thank you so much, Rin. Thank you, because I don't think I have the strength to do it myself; even though, I know it must be done."

"It's nothing. I'll be there in 30 minutes, okay? Perhaps you should have Souta or Nola locate a picture of Kagome; I'm sure the police are going to ask for one." That sounded cold even to her ears, but it was the truth and it needed to be done.

"Okay," the woman responded softly and the phone disconnected in Rin's ear.

Hanging up the phone, Rin shuffled over to the baby's room where Hoko was and stated as she pushed the door open, "I'm going over to Kagome's mother's house. Please answer the phone if it rings, and if it's her give her my cell phone number and tell her to call her mom."

He looked up at her and nodded his head in understanding.

Rin looked away from him, stepped into the room, and made her way quickly to the cribs that held her sons. Leaning over the bars, she placed a gentle kiss to each of their silky white covered heads and thanked the heavens that she knew where they were.

Turning away from the two infants, she started towards the door as she spoke softly as not to rouse the sleeping children, "If my mate or Inuyasha calls, tell them where I will be and that at 1 pm Higurashi-sama will be contacting the police."

"Of course, Lady Rin," Hoko responded as she opened and closed the door behind her.

Closing her eyes as she stood still for a moment, attempting to center herself, she chanted quietly, "This will end well. This will end well. This will end well, because it has to and because Inuyasha deserves it."

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

_Disgusting, _the full demon thought as he turned away from the vagabond that was digging through a bag of rotten vegetables at the end of a musty trash filled alley.

Shoving his hands into the pockets of his rumpled slacks, he stuck his head into the air and sniffed liked he'd been doing for the past few hours, and like every time before, he smelled everything and nothing that he was looking for.

He'd gone to every rundown, out of the way, ghetto, sweat filled, and abhorrent club located on the south and east sides of town and he hadn't been able to locate a single solitary whiff of the damn woman. It was almost as if she had just vanished off the face of the planet.

For his brother's piece of mind, he'd even ventured into a few of the places and asked the bouncers and door patrons if they'd seen anyone fitting Kagome's description, but he'd only done that twice because he quickly realized that describing her was just like describing the other 5 million woman that walked these streets on a daily basis.

_Futile_, he scoffed to himself not really wanting to feel half as pessimistic as he did, but he'd never been a man to live or dwell in worlds made of fairy tale dreams and gumdrop trees.

The truth was the truth, they all knew it regardless of whether it was a fact that anyone wanted to face. She wasn't out here in these streets wondering aimlessly like some lost child. She wasn't asleep at some friend of her's house, drunk, and based on what he knew of her, she wasn't stepping out on Inuyasha with some 'Yank' like whoever her mom talked to said.

Sure, any of that would have been much nicer to believe than the obvious, but sometimes life just wasn't that pretty. Sometimes…sometimes it was ugly, and hurtful, and it destroyed the things that people held dear to them, and his brother was no exception to this.

Yes, the truth was the truth; there was no doubt about that.

Sesshomaru glanced down at his watch then back up at the bright sun that was positioned almost perfectly in the sky and he scowled at it as if it had somehow offended him.

_12:27, _he thought idly and turned down the next street, the wind blowing through his silver mane, wrapping it around him; he paid it no mind and continued down the street and into the park that sat at the end of it.

Pulling the disposable phone that he'd purchased during the wee hours of the morning out of his pocket, he considered calling Rin just to hear her voice, but thought better of it as it would only serve to raise her and the Higurashi's spirits only to dampen them again.

He shoved the phone back in his pocket; he may have been known as an impassive bastard, but he was by no means cruel.

Disappearing into the forest, he stopped and sniffed, searching for any onlookers that may have been hanging around watching.

Sensing that no one was there, he dissolved into his energy form and zipped forward low to the ground while making sure to be careful of the approaching trees and the raised large roots.

He honestly had no desire to go where he knew he had to go because he hated dealing with other people's emotions, but this was sort of family even if no one but he and his brother knew this little fact; the Higurashi's were indeed family.

It was also for that reason and that reason alone that he's stayed out as long as he had-almost 14 hours-searching for her when he knew without a shadow of a doubt seven hours into it that what they were doing would bring forth no results.

This wasn't some sort of love story where the hero was going to rush in and save the heroine in the nick of time. No, he knew even if no one else wanted to admit it; this was no love story or fairytale; this was the real world, and things like that just did not happen.

They would see Kagome when he, the wolf demon, chose to let them see her. She would be free when he, the wolf demon, felt it was time for her to be free, and not before. And as much as he would've liked to play in the river of denial with the rest of them, which he just couldn't do, he knew that there was a very real and genuine possibility that they would never lay eyes on the woman again.

He knew that if anyone would've heard his thoughts it would've seemed as if he really didn't care one way or the other, but that wasn't the case at all.

He cared, he did.

He cared and he worried, though no one would ever know, about his brother's well-being if this ended badly and there was an 85 percent chance that it would. He cared about how her mother and brother would deal after the fact, and he cared and worried about whether Higurashi would be made to suffer because of his brother's thoughtless actions to claim her.

He cared, he really did. He was just a realist, first and foremost. He knew that simply caring was no better than a lazy fat slob with good intentions of getting in shape; it truly served no purpose unless some kind of action was put behind it.

He slowed as he came up on the Higurashi compound. His energy form swerved and rolled against the force of velocity that was trailing behind him and as it slowly dissipated he allowed his humanoid form to come forth, leaving him just a little dizzy and not quite breathless, but on the verge of it.

He absolutely hated using his energy form-one of the three forms he could take-but it was the fastest one of all of them, and perhaps that's why even with age it still affected him.

Brushing off the sleeves of his shirt, he stared at the two-story home that set a few yards away from him looking as if death itself had come to pay them a visit. It seemed lifeless, but he knew and could feel the auras penetrating through the walls inside the home.

There was six people inside; his mate, whom he longed to hold, Kagome's mother and brother, the cat demon, and two other human women he had not met as of yet.

Sesshomaru started forward, but stopped. He wasn't afraid and couldn't think of one time that he'd ever been afraid, but he did feel something buried deep within his gut, tugging at him as if it was slowing unwinding or was it simmering waiting patiently for…

_What is this feeling? _he questioned, his hand coming to his belly. Clutching it, he understood that it was empathy for the family…his distant and new family that had just had a part of their very being ripped away. It was empathy, understanding, pity and compassion all rolled into one like an unevenly kneaded and baked loaf of bread.

He pushed that feeling to the side, shoved it away as if it was the fingers of a diseased slut and started forward. There was no time for these trivial emotions, there was no more time to waste on thinking and dreaming and hoping, and there was no more time anymore for doing this the Higurashi way.

If she, Kagome, wasn't already raped, beaten, and possibly killed…

He couldn't allow that thought to finish. Not because he wanted to test the waters of denial, but because there was no time for that…for thinking…for contemplating.

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

Souta watched the two useless cops leave, Rin closing the door politely behind them and he growled. Stomping out of the living room where his mother, Rin's husband, Eri, Ayumi, and Nola were sitting; each looking more useless than the other.

"_We can't make an official report until she's been missing for 24 hours," _one of the cops had said, sounding just as sorry and pathetic as he looked.

"_You have to understand, she is an adult; if she chooses to go off on her own then it is her business," _the other short, fat, sloppy, and gnawed-faced one had added.

They'd tried to get them to understand that Kouga was dangerous and that Kagome was in a committed relationship so she wouldn't just run off like that not with all of the people she knew and loved accumulated in the same city, but the sorry ass troll looking cop had said in a joking teasing tone, _"Women run off all the time for no apparent reason. Maybe she and this ex of her's decided to hook back up and pick up where the left off."_

Souta had wanted to rip the fuckers head off and shit down his neck at that point, and damn if he wouldn't have tried had it not been for Nola. She had stepped up next to him at that point and laid a soothing hand on his shoulder.

In the end, the assholes simply took the report with no intentions of doing anything about it. The fat gnawed faced man slipped a picture of his sister in his back pocket and Souta knew the prick would be masturbating to it later. The cops then shot each of them apathetic patronizing looks before they turned and headed out the door.

The teenager that was nearly a man reached up and opened one of the cupboards and slammed it shut, wanting and needing desperately to break something or punch something! No one was doing anything with the exception of Inuyasha! He was out there bone tired searching…scouring the city looking for her by himself. He'd refused to come and speak to the police! He'd told them that it was a waste of time and that they wouldn't help, but his mother-as much as he loved her-just wouldn't listen!

Running his hand through his hair, he felt more than saw when Nola stepped into the room and he stepped back away from her, scowling angrily as if she was responsible for his sister's disappearance.

"Souta?"

"Don't fucking touch me," he hissed hatefully, his anger not directed at her, but she was here...she was close…she would get the brunt of his rage.

"Souta?" she said again, and he stepped back again away from her, his stance changing as if at any moment he was going to attack.

She looked at him, confused almost afraid and he looked away hating that he was making her feel this way when all she wanted to do is help, but he needed this. He needed to feel this anger, this rage. He needed to let it run its course. He needed to deal with it the only way he knew how.

"This isn't healthy, Souta, let me help you. Let me…"

"You don't think I know it's not?" he questioned increduosly. "But what else do I have, Nola? What fucking else do I have? I can't go out and look for my damn sister because my mom is falling apart, and the fucking police that's suppose to fucking protect and serve don't know the fucking meaning of it! What else am I suppose to do, huh? Tell me that!"

He was screaming now, certain that everyone in the house could hear him, but he didn't care. He was past caring! So far past it that he knew that he'd be groveling and apologizing to her for days, months, and years to come. Still, he didn't care.

"Souta, please," Nola begged, tears coming to her eyes.

He looked away from her again, and reached down, grabbing the back of the chair closest to him and pulled it away from the table, throwing it across to the other side of the kitchen. "No!" he bellowed, "Let me be angry, Nola! Let me have this one fucking thing! Just let me have this," he finished his arms shaking as small veins started to pop up at his temples and forehead.

He knew she just wanted to touch him, hold him, and caress him. She just wanted to make everything better for him and she wasn't wrong for wanting that, but he also knew that to him she was like calming sedative…a bottle of valium.

He didn't want that! Not now! Not while his sister was missing! He felt he had no right to be nestled against her feeling like all was right with the world when it fucking wasn't!

Souta turned from her abruptly and stormed out the back door, ignoring the way it slammed behind him as he stomped into the yard, not sure of where he was going or why. He just needed to get away from her…from them for a few minutes.

He paced when he got near the front steps, stopping every few seconds to look down them as if he was thinking of running, or as if he'd see Kagome walking up towards him a big grin on her heart shaped face.

His heart sank at that thought, palpitated within his chest and he inhaled deeply and threw his head back, refusing to allow one more tear to fall. That would solve nothing! His sister would still be missing, his mother would still be on the edge of having a mental break down, and his girl friend's heart would still be broken because of the way that he'd just spoken to her.

It would solve nothing!

He wasn't sure how long he'd stood there staring up at the blue picturesque sky above, but at the sound of a voice, heavy and smooth, he turned.

"If you're through throwing your temper tantrum, I could use your help," Sesshomaru stated still a few feet from him.

Souta scowled at him, but didn't say anything about the gibe at his one-sided shouting match with Nola. Instead, he replied hastily, "If it gets me off this property, whatever it is, I'll do it."

Sesshomaru passed him without looking at him and started down the cement steps towards the silver Infinite that Rin had arrived in and for a moment he thought the demon wasn't going to tell him what it was he need help with.

"Are you coming?" he questioned over his shoulder, his unreasonably long hair trailing out behind him.

Souta spared not even a second glance back at the house before he was trailing down the steps behind Sesshomaru.

The two were quiet as they both climbed into the car; Sesshomaru in the driver's seat, Souta the passenger seat. As they pulled away from the curb Sesshomaru stated as Souta watched Nola come to a stop at the top of the stairs, her arms at her sides, her face drawn, "Do you know where this Yuka person lives?"

Tearing his eyes away from her, he retorted, "Yeah, but my mom has been calling all morning; there's no answer."

"That doesn't mean she's not there," Sesshomaru told him, and then added, "How about Nashitaku Kouga, do you know where he lives?"

Souta stared at the demon for a long dry minute before answering, "I know where he used to stay, but not where he lives now."

"You will take me to both these places." It was a statement of fact, not a question by any means.

Souta couldn't help but to wonder if the demon knew what he was doing by going to Kouga personally. He quickly pushed that thought aside, because if it meant bringing his sister home safely then he would do what he had to. Already, he was feeling a little more relaxed…a little more useful. Anything was better than standing around doing nothing.

"Do you have a gun or something?" Souta questioned seriously, reaching down and opening the glove compartment. The demon didn't reply, so he added as he closed the compartment, "Well, I'm all for going in there half cocked if my sister is there, but I must warn you; even though I hate the guy, he's no push over."

The demon snorted and remained silent and Souta spared just a fraction of a second to glance at him, then at the clock on the dash board that read 2:25 before turning his attention to the road. "Turn right here and go four blocks down," he said to Sesshomaru, "Then we're going to make a right by the Sake Dive and its 15 minutes down that road on the…"

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

Her eyes fluttered open slowly and for a minute, the briefest second in time; she didn't know here she was. However, all of that went away when she looked over her head and saw her things…everything that she owned in the world slanted awkwardly as if she was in some upside down world.

She pushed up slowly, ran her hand through her mussed hair, and saw for the first time the damage she had done in her moment of blind stupidity and rage.

There was a deep, long gash running the length of her palm. The blood had dried, leaving not an inch of her skin visible. Glancing down at the floor, she noticed that the blood that had made it to the floor and had not mixed with the grease that her head had been laying in, all of which had coagulated.

Groaning, Yuka pushed up further from the floor to her knees and reached for the counter to gain some leverage. Pulling herself fully to her feet she stepped towards the sink and turned the tap on. Sticking her hand beneath it, she washed the dried blood off quickly and grabbed a dish towel and looped it around the damaged area before it could start gushing blood again.

She looked down at the mess she'd created, and carefully stepped over it as not the track it through the house. She decided quickly that she'd get her cut cleaned up and clean up the mess after she did the right thing.

She didn't know when exactly she'd decided this, but there was no longer any doubt in her mind about what she had to do. She needed to call Kagome's mom and tell her the truth, and then she'd go to the police and tell them her part in this and suffer whatever the consequences were, but she'd do the right thing.

Even if it was already too late, at least Kouga would pay for what he'd done, and to her, that's what really mattered.

If he'd hurt Kagome… Hell, that didn't even matter; he just needed to be made to pay for everything he'd done to her friend from the time they met and to everyone that had ever unknowingly gotten mixed up with him and paid the price.

_The right thing, _she told herself as she stepped into the living room and glanced at the digital clock. _2:03; there's still time. There has to be._

Stepping further into the living room, she ignored the flashing numbers on her answering machine that read 20, and picked up the cordless phone.

"I thought you were never going to get up," a husky male voice stated from somewhere behind her.

Yuka stilled, her heart rate increasing so much that she could hear it pumping in her ears. Turning slowly to look at the owner of the voice, she sprang backwards, knocking over the cheap stand she'd purchased when she first moved into her apartment.

"What… Who…who are you? How did you get in here?"

He laughed, his emerald green eyes glistening as deep cratered dimples appeared on either side of his face. His teeth were perfect; straight and white; perfect. His hair cut close to his head gave him a boyish charm that she knew under normal circumstances she would have gravitated to.

He wasn't full Asian, she knew that much, because of his nose, his sculpted cheek bones and the shape of his eyes, but at least he seemed all human. _"Looks can be deceiving a small voice whispered," _and she shied away from the man like a wounded dog.

"Now, now," he told her conversationally as he reached back behind him and pulled out the shiniest, biggest gun that she'd ever seen in her life, "Do you really want to bother with such trivial things?"

Yuka tried to speak, to say something, but the shine of the gun, the stranger, and the feeling in the pit of her stomach that told her that this was not a good situation for her to be in, wouldn't allow her to speak, let alone move.

She knew she should've been screaming or throwing something at him so that she could make her way to the door. She knew she should be doing something…anything to alert her neighbors-even though she hated all of them-that she was in trouble and needed help, but she couldn't move.

The fear…the knowledge of not knowing gripped her and rode her until she was trembling in the spot where she stood. Something warm and wet started flowing down the inside of her leg, but she only knew that vaguely because she knew she shouldn't have been feeling anything in that area at this point and time.

He gasped tauntingly and threw his head back and laughed as her reached behind him again. This time he pulled out a pristine white rag and began wiping the barrel of his gun as if he was sensually caressing a woman before sex. "Tinkle, tinkle," he teased pointing the gun at her in a flippant manner before bringing it back to his person, "I would've let you go to the bathroom. I mean, I'm not a monster."

His voice was so soothing that it didn't fit the situation; it was like a blatant oxymoron; it just didn't fit, but neither did his appearance. Monsters weren't supposed to be well dressed with expensive shoes and platinum watches. They weren't supposed to be drop dead gorgeous and well spoken, and they weren't…they weren't supposed to be in her home.

He sighed lightly, shoved the white cloth back into his back pocket, reached around to his other side with the same hand and brandished the longest hunting knife she'd ever laid eyes on. He stared at the device for a long minute. Flipped it from side to side, brought it up to his nose and sniffed it, and then he glanced at her.

He was staring at her as if he was trying to decide something; his gaze boring into her, delving into the deepest parts of her soul with those green haunting eyes of his. He looked down again at the knife and then at the gun and shrugged before shoving the knife-without looking-back into it's hiding place.

Nodding his head in her direction, he questioned mildly, "Who were you calling?"

She glanced down at the phone quickly having forgotten she was even holding it, and then back up at him. "No…No one."

He pouted, his mouth making a disapproving 'tis' sound softly. "Now, you see, I may be a lot of things, but I'm not liar. I can't stand liars," he hissed, his face transforming into something monstrous before going back to his debonair persona. He shrugged his wide shoulders again and sighed. "I suppose it doesn't really matter, does it?"

Yuka stepped back away from him, the phone slipping from her hand. She could hear the soft beep of the receiver letting her know that the phone was off the hook and she shrank back away from the man subconsciously.

This couldn't be happening to her! She had to be sleeping! This…this had to be a dream; it had to be!

"Who are you?" she managed softly as a solitary tear slipped down her face.

He scowled at her for a moment before he leaned back against the counter comfortably and retorted in a playful tone, "Trivial things, Yuka. Does it really matter who I am?" He crossed his feet at his ankles and allowed the gun to dangle lifelessly from his fingers as he continued, "If I were you," one finger came up to the side of his mouth in a feminine sort of way as if he was thinking hard, and then he finished, "I would ask if I was going to rape you." He kissed the tip of his finger slightly and let it drop back to his side.

She swallowed hard and backed up again until she was against the wall. "Ar…are you going to…rape me?"

"That's really not a fair question since I gave you that one, but if that is how you want to play, then so be it." He looked at her for a long minute before he actually answered her, "Nah, I do a lot of things, but I don't do that. Besides, I've heard that you've been around the block more than a few times."

He was toying with her! Why was he toying with her? If he was going to hurt her why hadn't he done it yet? Why was he playing with her?

Yuka stared at him as he stared at her as if he was checking her out across some bar. "Are you going…are you going to hurt me?"

He laughed soft and endearingly as he reached into the front pocket of his loose fitting slacks and pulled out a small chrome circular object. "Now you're asking the right question," he told her with an approving nod of his head. He gripped the gun tighter in one hand and screwed the cylinder thing onto the end of the barrel with his other hand, his eyes never leaving her face. He waited a moment more before he answered her, a polite smile on his devilish face, "And to your question; yes, yes, I have every intention of hurting you, Yuka."

Her knees started to give out as a whine escaped her lips, "Why? Why? What did I do? What did I do to you?"she cried, grasping on to the wall to steady herself. The fact that he'd used her name registered with her, but it didn't mean much because a lot of people knew her.

"We're back to trivial things," he told her, totally unaffected by her tears. "Now, you should ask me how bad I'm going to hurt you?"

"No, no," she wept shaking her head as she slid down the wall to the floor. "I don't want to know. I…I… Help me. Someone, please help me," she pleaded too softly for anyone to actually hear her and help her.

He walked towards her slowly, his feet barely touching the carpet. "You don't want to play anymore?" he questioned after squatting down in front of her, his elbows resting on his knees, his hands dangling between his legs; the gun with its additional 3 inch cylinder attachment still a prominent accessory.

She leaned into the wall away from him, tried to disappear into it…through it as she shook her head slightly in a negative fashion.

"Are you sure?" he questioned, his tone caring, soothing, and so…so warm.

"Yes," she replied weakly, hope soaring within her.

"Well, I don't force a woman to do anything she doesn't want to," he advised her politely.

She closed her eyes and turned her head away from him.

There was silence, dead…defeaning silence and she thought even though she felt no movement from him that he'd left somehow, but as she was about to open her eyes something whispered in the back of her mind that maybe she shouldn't open them just yet and for once she listened, just listened.

A throaty groan rumbled up the back of his throat and he leaned in closer to her so that his mouth was a breath away from her ear. "I was told to tell you, that she was always…always better than you," he whispered and her heart flipped and her stomach twisted and she knew why he was here and who had sent him.

There was a pressure, cold and hard against her chest to the right of where most people believed their hearts were, but she knew it was dead on. She could feel the steel through the thin shirt she wore, and then there was a snap not much louder than a soft clap, and the pain was there, ripping through her chest, her back, running up and down her spine, numbing her limbs almost instantly. Her body slumped to the side; her extremities shaking, trembling, and twisting.

She gasped, tried to suck in air, but she couldn't. Her eyes were focused on the ceiling above her, darkness ebbing in slowly from the corners of her vision; her ears felt muffled as if she were underwater, and she tried to breathe in again, but still she couldn't.

He was there over her, staring into her face, an almost apologetic but more a curious look in his eyes. He smiled at her bright and welcoming as the darkness ebbed in faster expunging the light she was desperately trying to hold onto.

The world that she'd known was becoming something foreign and unknown. She reached for it frantically with mental fingers and begged with a silent tongue for this not to be real…for this not to be happening.

As the last of his ungodly green eyes vanished she knew…she knew it would be the last thing she ever saw.

"Don't fight it," she heard him whisper and she was gone…erased…removed…deleted.

**Until Next Time**…(Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated.)

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Next Chapter: **Useless Hands**

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_**Acknowledgements: (Wow, most votes ever in the history of this fic!! Way to go!!)**_

Tazzy ~ Breesasha ~ Tokyo Indy ~ Beachcomber ~ HollisterGirl29 ~ The Dreaming Soul ~ Hanmajoerin ~ Spirituality ~ Wolf69 ~ Poisoned-CeCe-Blossom ~ Kagome2 a.k.a me ~ User data missing ~ TiffanyM ~ Island Heart ~ Jemzet A Heart Broken Angel ~ PunkLover ~ Litayoliechi ~ Crazedfan213 ~ Ivellios ~ Nozome ~ xXKimio SakakiXx ~ Kiaraj ~ Ghost's go boo ~ xXInume-TakahashixX ~ Lilyx13 ~ Kinky-Hoe ~ Zuba ~ Lynzi18 ~ Say0mi Saki ~ Crab09 ~ Moriko no Hikari ~ HeidiBax ~ kittykritik ~ Merry Monk ~ Pixiepuff101 ~


	60. Useless Hands

**A/N:** As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness. I just felt like updating so, I am. Any who, thanks for your patience and tolerance. I know I'm not the easiest author to deal with…lol. As always, a super-duper honey smack thanks to by wonderful beta, Neko.

**Disclaimer:** I only claim ownership to Takira, Gage, Nola, Nya, the Sphinx, Dinshu, and the green-eyed guy that killed Yuka. I know I'm forgetting someone, so if Rumiko Takahashi didn't create him/her, him/her belongs to me.

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**Chapter 60:**

**Useless Hands**

He flipped the cell phone open and stared in agitation at the little flashing battery in the upper right hand corner of the display. One would think that with all the cutting edge technology, they would've invented something that could charge cell phones in five minutes or less, or make it so that the batteries never lost their charge at all.

Inuyasha leaned back on the couch closing his eyes, his breathing even and steady.

When the phone had first started to beep, alerting him to the fact that it required charging, he'd stopped at a few stores looking for a replacement battery, but was unable to locate one, so he ended up having to call Rin. She called the hotel, half explained the situation to them, and they had one of their staff personnel go up to her room and get her charger and bring it to her.

When he'd gotten to the house, he hadn't planned on sitting very long, only long enough to charge the phone and go back out. Instead, when he'd walked through the door, Rin had taken the phone from him, handed him a plate of hot food, and then directed him to the shower. He'd taken the shower and changed his clothing, but he hadn't eaten. He just didn't have an appetite. How could he under these circumstances?

Inuyasha glanced down at his watch which read 7:23 p.m., and sighed. It had been almost 24 hours since he last saw Kagome and just over 14 hours since he last talked to her.

He stood to his feet and shuffled towards the door, trying not to listen to the five women that were sitting in the kitchen talking. He could hear clearly what they were saying, but he didn't want to because they were-the ones that knew Kagome best-reminiscing about some of the things they'd done with her. He didn't like that because they were acting as if she was dead, which she wasn't. He'd claimed her, right? So, if she was he would be the first to know, wouldn't he?

He stooped low, stepping into his shoes and making quick work of tying the laces. Standing upright again, he pulled a black leather hair band from his wrist and pulled his long wet silver mane into a ponytail at the crown of his head. Once done, he reached for the door handle and turned it, but stopped at the sound of a quiet voice behind him.

"Where are you going?"

He turned to face Rin. "Just outside; I can't really go anywhere without the phone."

"I see," she replied quietly as if she was afraid to say anything more.

He sighed, releasing the handle. He knew he'd been distant with her and with everyone for that matter. He had to be because if he wasn't then he'd get caught up with them in their fevered frenzy of doubt and gloom, and he just couldn't allow that to happen. Yes, she, his mate, was missing, but he'd find her, he knew he would and he'd find her alive. The rest, well, he'd just have to deal with that as it came.

Inuyasha refused to allow his mind to wonder about what that bastard was doing to her, and how she was dealing with it. He refused to even entertain the thought that she was with him willingly, though, he had to admit that for a fraction of a brief doubtful second it had crossed his mind. Brushing his thoughts away, he asked softly, "Have you heard from Sesshomaru?"

"No. He and Souta left earlier today after the Officers left, but they haven't called or anything since then."

"Do, you know where they went?"

"I asked Sesshomaru before he left, but you know your brother. Everything is on a need to know basis," she told him with a rueful smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

He looked away from her as the phone in the kitchen sang to life. Mrs. Higurashi picked up and told whoever it was, Kagome wasn't there. Turning his attention back to Rin in order to keep the disquiet that was coming to life at bay, he intoned, "What about Nola; did Souta tell her anything?"

"They sort of had an argument before he left; she doesn't know anything."

"Alright then," he replied halfheartedly as he turned away. Her hand on his forearm stilled him and he turned back to her. "What?" It came out a lot harsher than he'd planned.

"I'm glad that you're handling this so well."

His eyes narrowed, but he didn't respond. What did she expect from him; for him to be crying his eyes out; for him to be walking around the house sulking and reminiscing with the rest of them? What the hell did she expect?

Rin forced a sad smile as she wiped at her eyes with the backs of her hands. "I was half expecting you to be out there tearing things apart," she whispered.

_She was expecting me to be acting like a half crazed animal, _he told himself, his face remaining unreadable. He could see it in her eyes she was worried about him. She was waiting on him to snap, to lose it, to crack. If he were honest with himself, he would've admitted that he, himself, was waiting on the same exact thing.

"You know that we'll find her, don't you?"

"Feh, of course I know that," he snapped, insulted that she even felt a need to reassure him of such an asinine thing.

She stepped towards him, her hand travelling higher up his arm until she was a breath away, her other hand coming up to encircle his neck. Why couldn't he feel the heat of her body against his? Why couldn't he feel her warm breath on the side of his neck? Why couldn't he… Why didn't he feel anything?

He was numb; internally and externally. He was numb, deadened. Somewhere in the back of his mind he understood that clearly and maybe, just maybe somewhere deep down inside he was also okay with that. As long as he couldn't feel, then he didn't have to deal with any of them on an emotional level and he didn't have to deal with his own emotions.

Inuyasha hugged her back and stepped away from her. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with empathy as if she was still waiting…counting the seconds until he did it…until he shattered into a trillion glass pieces at her feet. This knowledge caused him to inwardly recoil from her as he fought back the urge to vomit.

He started to apologize to her for his earlier tone, but stopped at the sound of two sets of feet on the cement outside. For a fraction of a second in time, hope soared inside of him but the moment he opened the door it sank again.

Stepping back away from it, he allowed his brother and Souta, whose face was white and ashen to pass into the living room. They were both quiet, Souta staring down at the floor as if he wasn't seeing it all.

Something was wrong. Inuyasha could feel it, but he didn't speak on it right away. Instead, he turned his attention to his brother, who had made quick work of pulling Rin to him and hugging her tight against his chest before releasing her again. If nothing else assured him that something was awry, that definitely did. His brother was not affectionate in front of strangers.

"Where were the two of you?" Inuyasha queried, stepping back and into the living room.

Mrs. H. stepped into the hallway followed by Nola. "Souta," she confirmed, stepping over to the young man and hugging him. He didn't hug her back nor raise his head to look at her.

As she released him, Nola stepped forward wrapping her arms around the young man. Souta broke down instantly, hugging her back, wrapping his arms tightly around her, holding her close as if he thought if he let her go she'd disappear.

"Souta," she whispered, and Inuyasha stepped back away from the group that was all turned, staring at the young man. Whatever it was that he knew, the hanyou realized quickly he didn't want to hear it.

The boy started blubbering something, so soft that it was unintelligible, but the hanyou could make out one word clearly, _murdered_.

Nola pushed back and looked at Souta's face. She scanned it up and down; from cheek to cheek, and the hanyou knew she understood as well.

_No, _Inuyasha told himself, _No. _He stepped back again, bumping into the coffee table that set in the middle of the living room floor. Something thumped loudly on the table breaking through the boys rambling and everyone turned to look at him, but he only saw Souta.

Inuyasha's lips were moving, no words coming out. His face was set in a mask of horror and disbelief, but he didn't know any of this. _Murdered? _Anger boiled up in him; rage so thick and palpable that he could taste it in the back of his throat like black venomous bile destined to devour whatever it touched. It would destroy him, and he would destroy them; he knew this without knowing he did.

His brother stepped into his line of sight and Inuyasha glanced at him through the dark haze that clouded his vision.

"Inuyasha," he said, and then he said something else, but the hanyou didn't hear it.

The half demon tried to step back, but he had no place to go. He looked from his brother's impassive face to Souta's horrified mask and back. "Who was murdered?" the hanyou questioned, his eyes' trained on his brother. When he didn't get an answer right away, he shook his head. His hands balling into tight fist at his side as he tried to control what he knew couldn't be controlled. Bitch reared his head, taking full control and Inuyasha barreled forward past his brother, around Rin and Mrs. H., and directly at Souta.

Shoving Nola aside so that she hit the door with a thud, he grasped the front of Souta's shirt and slammed him against the wall. "Who's fucking dead?" he screamed into the boy's face, spit flying from his mouth. "Who's dead? Who the fuck is…"

Sesshomaru was on him pulling him back, his arms pinned over his head in a headlock. Inuyasha fought against his brother, violent angry growls slipping from his lips as he stared at the boy with desperate eyes pleading with him not to say her name; not to fucking say her name!

"Murdered? Dead?" someone questioned from behind him, but he was too lost in his own head to figure out who it was.

"Whose dead?" he roared again as Sesshomaru dragged him back away from the human boy and away from the women. He kicked out, tried to twist out of Sesshomaru's grasp as he bared his fangs and snarled at Souta. He didn't care how he looked to anyone, or that he might be frightening them.

The cool night air hit him hard across the face as freedom from his brother's arms found him, and he stumbled forward, the rage still there as vicious and as unbridled as it was a moments before. Bitch snarled low and husky in his head.

"You need to calm yourself, Inuyasha," Sesshomaru told him, "Your eyes bled red in front of everyone."

"I don't give a fuck," he told him in a tone so calm that his brother had to have known that everything was not okay.

"It wasn't Kagome," the full demon said, before continuing, "Souta and I went to the home of the girl that Higurashi went out with last night, and we found her dead; a single bullet through her heart."

Inuyasha turned then, facing him. "What?"

"She's dead. It had to have happened within an hour of us arriving because her body was still warm. We spent the afternoon at the police station giving them a report and advising them once again of the connection of the girl's murder to Kagome's disappearance."

"What…how?" the hanyou stuttered.

"It looks like she made it home after Higurashi's disappearance alone as there were no traces of Kagome in her apartment. I can only think of one reason why someone would want her dead. She knew who has Kagome and possibly where he's holding her. "

"What did the police say?" Inuyasha questioned.

There was a scream from the house, but neither demon looked because they knew who and why she was screaming.

"They're opening an official investigation with the possibility that both cases are linked."

"Did the police find anything in the house; any clues or anything like that?"

"To my knowledge, no, but I did give the place a quick search before contacting them. I was looking for a cell phone, a phone book, or a diary, something that would've given us a clue about what or who may have done it. The place was clean, which doesn't make any sense since there was a cell charger plugged into her bedroom wall."

Inuyasha stared at his brother for a long moment before he intoned, "Maybe it was a robbery." He knew it wasn't, but if it wasn't then there was a specific reason behind killing the girl. One that he didn't want to face just yet, but he knew that his brother had already come to that conclusion and probably accepted it.

"If it were, it would be quite the coincidence, wouldn't it? She's the only person that can probably tell us what happened and she's murdered less than 24 hours after Kagome goes missing," Sesshomaru told him matter-of-factly.

The hanyou sighed and looked away from him. Up until they, his brother and Souta had arrived he'd been doing pretty good, but now he was barely holding on, barely able to contain this pain that dug so deep and was so torrential that it felt as if it was a cancer devouring his intestines, his muscles, his tendons, and his very being. He swallowed hard, pulled himself together as best he could and asked, "I need to go see this Nashitaku Kouga and I need to see him tonight."

"I've been there, or at least I tried. I had Souta take me to his last known residence, but he'd moved. I also went to the registers office and looked up any known addresses in his name. There were none." Sesshomaru's voice was calm almost soothing, but Inuyasha knew from years of dealing with him that it was not the case. His brother continued, "I also checked his wife's name. There were no residences listed in her name either."

It felt as if a screwdriver had just been driven into his chest, his knees almost buckled, his chin falling to his chest. This was not happening, it couldn't be! How was he supposed to find her now? Where was he supposed to start? He'd looked everywhere, from street to disgusting street and roof top to filthy roof top. He'd searched for her without finding one solitary trace of her. The one person that he'd been hoping all along would be able to shed some light on where Kagome was, was now dead. Where in the hell did this leave them? Where?

"I can't just stand here doing nothing," he whispered to himself. His feet started moving carrying him away from his brother without his knowledge. "I have to do something. I have to find her. I have to find my mate," he whispered, his tone broken, but this knowledge was not known to him. "I have to find her," he repeated again.

Bitch growled low in agreement.

The hanyou took off heading for the trees that lined the back of the estate. Within seconds, his form blended into the darkness, disappearing from his brother's sight, his destination unknown.

_**

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Simonkal of Inuy

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"Why didn't you tell me?"

Hakkaku looked away from Ayame and shoved his hands in the pockets of his dark slacks. When she'd called and asked him to meet her, he would've said no if he knew this was all she'd wanted.

He ran a clawed hand through his ponytail as the wind twisted around him, ruffling his untucked button down shirt. What did she expect him to say to her? That he was sorry, that he'd tried to, that he wished he could take it back? He sighed, his head tilting upward as if he was sniffing the air. The truth, had he said one or all of those things, it would've been the truth.

She stepped closer to him, her small body swallowed by the oversize cashmere coat she wore and he realized for the first time winter was rolling in fast.

"Hakkaku?"

He looked at her then. "What do you want me to say, Ayame?" He looked away, stunned by his own coldness. He reached out to her, touched her shoulder and drew her attention back to him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you," he told her, but it was too late, tears were already filling her eyes.

She sniffled and wiped her nose with a white handkerchief. "I'm sorry," she intoned, "I can't seem to stop crying these days."

Hakkaku stared down at her for a long moment saying nothing and he wondered just how lucky Kouga really must be to have ended up with two of the most loving women in one life time. Most people never found anyone that would love them in the way that Kagome and Ayame had loved and loved Kouga.

What wouldn't he give for just a taste of what it felt like to truly and undoubtedly be loved? He brushed his thoughts away and leaned back against his black Lexus 450. "Now that you know, does it make you feel any better? Does it make you feel any different about Kouga?"

Ayame shot him a confused look before she looked down at the ground, one of her honey brown stiletto boots kicking at a rock. "I don't know, but it would've been nice to know." She looked up at him and continued, "I know that you were his friend first, but I thought that you were my friend too."

Hakkaku looked away from her. "I am your friend. I was just loyal to him."

"How many have there been," she asked.

Hakkaku didn't look at her. He'd always wondered why woman asked questions they really didn't want to know the answer too. Not only that, but did she really think he was going to just stand here and tell her all of Kouga's business? Sure, Kouga was on his shit list and if he was found dead tomorrow not a tear would be shed, but he was not going to stand here like some bitch and talk about another man's business. He pushed off the car and stepped towards Ayame. Reaching out, he fingered her chin as he stared into her emerald green eyes as if searching for something that he'd yet to find in anyone. Releasing her chin, he shoved his hand back in his pocket and told her, "Find some girlfriends, Ayame, but let this…whatever it is going one between you and Kouga be what it is. Move on."

"He's my mate! How can I move on?" Her eyes were begging for answers that he just couldn't give her.

Hakkaku turned in silence to walk around his car and back towards the driver's side door, but stopped at the sound of her shrill tone.

"What am I suppose to do, Hakkaku? What am I supposed to do?" she cried. "I don't know how not to love him, but I hate him so much that it hurts! I don't have anyone else I can talk to! If I tell my father, he'll kill him! If I talk to friends, they'll say I'm stupid! I only have you! I don't have anyone else! I only have you," she whined as her knees started to buckle and her shoulders began to shake under her emotional load.

Hakkaku stepped back towards her in haste, catching her before she hit the ground. He pulled her to his chest and held her there as she cried the tears of the heartbroken. With each groan from her lips, he hated Kouga just a little bit more.

_Bastard!_

No matter what the man did, he always left nothing but disaster in his wake. No matter what he touched or how he touched it; it always died the swiftest of deaths.

_Damn him!_

Whenever Kouga was too busy with a piece of pussy, he'd fill in for him at Ayame's side. He'd take her shopping, he'd go to the charity functions she threw from time to time, he was the one there telling her she looked nice or that a particular outfit didn't make her look fat. He was the one there making up excuses when Kouga didn't show for their date nights, which he never did. He was the one that answered Kouga's cell when he just didn't feel like being bothered with her, and he, Hakkaku was the one that had to watch her heart break over and over again! He was there, always there even now when he wasn't being paid to be.

_Son of a bitch!_

Ayame clutched at the front of his shirt as her tears died down, and then her arms moved encircling him, holding him close. There was nothing odd about it, she'd done it before, but for some reason this time it felt different. His arms dropped away from her and Ayame clutched even closer to him as she whimpered, "Please don't let me go, Hakkaku. Please just hold me a little longer."

_Damn, _he thought as his arms encircled her slender body once more. It wasn't that he felt nothing for the woman, because he did, he'd accepted that a long time ago, but she was off limits and had always been off limits even now.

A moment of silence passed between them before she whispered, "I'm really sorry about Ginta. I was going to call, but with everything that has happened since then--"

Hakkaku stiffened.

"I know Kouga did it," she told him. "I saw it. I'm so sorry, Hakkaku."

She was crying again, but he couldn't find it in himself to say or do anything. How could she have been there? Why hadn't he known she was there? Did Kouga know and shoot at him anyway?

"Ayame?"

She shook her head as best she could, her hold still tight on him. "Don't. I saw it. I saw him, Hakkaku. He's a monster, an animal. Why didn't I see it before? Why didn't I know?" She leaned back and looked up at him. "When he tried to kill me, I still didn't think ill of him. I still wanted to believe everything would be okay, but it wasn't until I saw him try to kill you that I began to understand who he truly was." She sighed. "Then I saw him with _her_ that human and I-"

Hakkaku leaned away from Ayame. "You saw Kouga with whom?"

She smiled a patronizing sullen smile and whispered, "The human girl, Kagome. I saw them together last night."

He narrowed his eyes and tried to think of one valid reason why Kagome would be with Kouga willingly. He couldn't come up with one solitary explanation. Hadn't she made him promise not to give her number to him? She was mated, wasn't she? Even though she denied it to him for whatever the reason, he knew by her scent that she was mated. Surely, Kouga knew that too.

His stomach churned, twisting in on itself. "When did you see them, Ayame? Where did you see them?" She didn't respond, so he shook her. "Where and when, damn it?"

She twisted out of his grasp, her eyes sad and despondent. "Why should I tell you? So you can leave me too?"

"Don't be fucking silly!"

She stepped back and he stepped toward her, his dark eyes alive with fire and anticipation. "Where the hell did you see them?"

"Why do you care so much?"

Hakkaku growled low in annoyance. "Contrary to what you believe, Kagome isn't as horrible as you think she is," he snapped, "She was just as much in the dark about what happened between you, her, and Kouga as you were." His nostrils flared as he continued, "Look she's mated, okay. If she's with Kouga then she's not with him by choice I'm sure of it."

Ayame stood stunned stupid. "What? She's…she's what?"

"She's fucking mated, Ayame. I met her mate briefly a few nights ago. I was only talking to her and he almost lost it. So if you don't want your precious Kouga torn to fucking bits and left over the far corners of Japan, then you'll tell me what you know."

Ayame stuttered again, "She's…she's what?"

"I told you already," he bellowed. "This shit ain't her fault, Ayame. You need to place the blame where it belongs," he finished. Stepping towards her again, he reached up and grasped her shoulders. "Now tell me damn it!"

She swallowed, sorrowful tears trailing down her cheeks. "I…I followed him last night to his club. I didn't know what I was going to find, but after a while he came out the side entrance with her. He was carrying her in a way that he'd never carried me. He looked down at her with so much…so much possessiveness," she told him, "He put her in the car and then-"

She stopped and Hakkaku thought he was going to keel over and die at any moment. "What happened after that?"

She wiped at her eyes with the backs of her hands. "I followed him. I was going to kill her in front of him and then I'd kill myself. I was going to let him see that I loved him enough to kill for him and then die for him, but…but when I saw where he took her. When I saw how little he thought of me, I couldn't do it. I couldn't-"

His heart went out to Ayame, it really did, but if Kouga had Kagome since last night or early this morning there wasn't a minute to waste. He had to get there. He had to try to save his brother's crush. He had to at least try.

"Where, Ayame?" he asked impatiently as he glanced at his watch. _Shit it's already well past 9 pm._

"First, he took her to my old apartment, but he moved her early this morning. She looked like she was still sleeping or something. I was going to jump out of the car and do it, but I thought better of it." She swallowed hard, and finished, "When he pulled up to the cabin that my dad had given us as a wedding gift and where we spent our honeymoon that's when I lost it. That's when I decided that he wasn't worth it."

Gods his heart went out to her and a part of him wanted to stay and console her, but Kagome needed him so much more than she did at the moment. He stepped towards her, pulled her into his arms and kissed her firmly on the lips, not realizing what he was doing. "Thank you! Thank you!"

Ayame stared at him, a light blush staining her cheeks. "You're going to her?"

"I'm not going to her. I'm going to save her. There's a difference," he corrected over his shoulder. "You have no idea what kind of beast Kouga really is."

She moved faster than he could credit and the next thing he knew she was sitting in the passenger seat of his Lexus looking like that was where she'd always belonged. She'd ridden there a hundred times before, but for some reason this time seemed like the first and it seemed right.

Climbing into the vehicle, Hakkaku cranked the car and told her, "Look, I know there's nothing I can say to you to make you stay here, but when we get to the cabin I need you stay out of my way."

She nodded, but didn't respond.

"I mean it, Ayame. I might have to shoot him to get Kagome away from him. I need you stay out of the way."

She nodded again as she stared down at her booted feet. "I promise, I will."

"I know he's your _mate_ and shit," he went on not believing her for a minute, "but I can't let him hurt another person. After Dinshu and Ginta, I can't let him hurt Kagome too."

"What about me?" she asked quietly.

The car was already speeding down the highway heading in the direction of the cabin 45 minutes away at the opposite end of town buried in the mountains when Hakkaku responded absently, "What about you?" She was quiet but he could feel the spike in her aura and he understood. He'd just hurt her feelings. Reaching over, he took her hand in his and brought it to his lips before declaring softly, not sure why he felt he needed to assure her, "What I'm going to do is going to be for you too, but it won't matter if you get in the way or try to stop me."

Her hand closed around his, and he turned to look at her, a blush staining her cheeks as she replied, "I don't break promises, Hakkaku, I won't get in the way. He's already hurt one too many people."

He didn't pull his hand away from her as he continued down the road at speeds upwards of 110 mph. "He's your _mate_, Ayame. You won't be singing this same tune in a few minutes."

She was quiet, before she asked, "Are mates supposed to hurt each other the way Kouga hurt me? Are they supposed to ignore you and push you off on their friends, Hakkaku? Are they supposed to try and kill you?"

Hakkaku turned to look at her before turning his attention back to the road. The fact that their hands were still intertwined a very prominent thought in his mind. He didn't answer her, he didn't want to answer her, because she already knew the answer to those questions, or at least he hoped she did.

His eyes trained on the road ahead, he told himself that figuring out whatever was happening between the two of them would have to wait. Maybe it was nothing, maybe it was, but whatever it was, it would have to wait.

_**

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Simonkal of Inuy

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This wasn't a part of the plan. Hell, it wasn't even something that he'd considered and even now as he stared down at her prone form, her twisted scent filling his nostrils, he couldn't believe it.

Kouga shook his head for the millionth time since his nasal passage had cleared. At first, he thought this was some kind of sick fucking joke! He'd thought that…that maybe someone was honestly just fucking with him, but he knew better.

He'd ripped her clothing off of her-all of them! He'd taken the clothes wrapped in the liner from the trash bin down to the dumpster and tossed it in and still she smelled…stunk of something else…something so vile and disgusting that it twisted his stomach and caused him to want to gage.

Not wanting to believe what he knew the truth to be, he'd pulled her off the bed and threw her in the large bathtub. He'd scrubbed her from head to toe and back again with every form of soap he had access to, but still that scent laid thickly on her.

He'd stepped back then and shook his head in disbelief, but he refused to give up so easily. She was his…she was his property regardless of what she or anyone else thought; she was his!! So, he'd left her alone for a few minutes, ran down to the store and purchased some bleach, scrubbing pads, and other cleaning agents. He would get that scent off of her one way or the other, he promised himself that, or she would die with him trying.

When he'd gotten back to the room she was just starting to wake up, so he gave her another dose of the drug-a more potent altered form of GHB- that he'd gotten from a vet he knew. She was out like a light once more.

He'd then run the bath again, this time making the water nearly scalding hot, but not hot enough that it would blister her skin which he hadn't been able to enjoy just yet because of that damn smell.

Kouga had scrubbed every orifice of her body, put a couple of drops of bleach in the water, and scrubbed her some more with the scrubbing pads, and then alternated with the various cleaning agents; nothing worked! If anything the smell became stronger and stronger filling the bathroom, and so he scrubbed harder and harder with the scouring pads until the scent of the blood filled his nostrils and a tiny voice whispered, _"Stop."_

He'd pulled back then and took note of the fact that a section of the skin from her right shoulder was torn and ragged; it really should've unnerved him, he knew that much, but it didn't. He then pulled her out of the tub as if she was a wet towel and dropped her on the bed.

He'd stepped back away from her, his eyes trained on her sleeping face, her limp extremities, and in that instance everything that he'd done to get her back ran through his mind in no particular order.

Killing Dinshu…

Having that bitch attacked…

Losing the respect of his cohorts…

Killing Ginta…

Losing his right hand man…

All the fucking money he spent finding her…

All the lies that he told…

All the sleepless nights…

And then, his mind teetered across some dreams…mere fantasies that he had for her and him, for their future. He knew these probably would never have come true because he'd never been the family type, but he would've tried for her. He really would have! He would've done anything for her! Anything!!

Kagome pregnant with his pup…

A house on the beach overlooking the cliffs where he could disappear to when he was tired of Ayame…

Family trips abroad…

Petty arguments that were always resolved before they went to bed…

Always having someone to pep him up and cheer him on…

Her waiting on him to come home, knowing and accepting he had another life… another wife…

He'd lost everything for her! He'd lost everything single fucking thing…for…her, and this was how she repaid him?

Ayame would never take him back now! She would never accept him after what he'd done to her, the way he'd ignored and shunned her over the past few days! It wasn't that he actually cared or even loved her for that matter, he just needed her money, her lifestyle!!

He'd tossed all of that to the side, put finding her first, and the bitch had the audacity to go and mate with that fucking mutt?!

Anger boiled up inside of him, twisted his mind into something sick and disgusting and he snarled down at her still body, hating her for what she made him do…for ruining his life!

This was her fault! All her fucking fault!

He had it all! He had everything he'd ever wanted and now…now because of her, it was gone, evaporated into thin air! All because of her!

How could she have betrayed him in such away? How could she have just forgotten about him? He was Nashitaku Kouga, no one forgot about him! No one!!

The darkness grew, expanding outward engulfing his mind and his thoughts so that all he saw was hatred for her, the woman…the only woman he thought he'd once loved or at least cared for. It wrapped him up tight in a warm blanket of false clarity and he snarled angrily as he stepped forward, "Bitch! What the fuck am I supposed to do with you now?!"

He couldn't turn away. He couldn't just let her walk out of here like nothing had happened. Even if she didn't remember one goddamn thing, her family knew, he knew they did. That's why he'd moved her after he'd gotten that first call.

He closed in on her body, his feet carrying him around the side of the bed to her left.

He couldn't allow her to walk back to them now. He'd had her friend killed, because…because… Hell, he had no excuse for that except that he hated her and felt it was her time, but this…this was…

A sinister low voice whispered conversationally, its tone becoming more frantic and frenzied with each word that fell, _"What are you teetering about; kill her. The bitch deserves to die for what she's done…for the way that she's betrayed us! Kill her! Kill her now! Kill the bitch! Kill her now!!"_

His fists clenched and unclenched as he stared down at her. He allowed the darkness to consume him in such way that he had no control over what he did next. He didn't see her, didn't hear the forced groans that escaped her lips, didn't see her eyes flutter vacantly, and felt not an ounce of remorse.

As his fists rose high over his head only to descend again and again with such swiftness that the human eye wouldn't have seen it, he was lost in the back of his mind in childish dreams.

As her blood splattered over the bed, the walls, his bare chest, and face, he was in the back of his mind playing in dirt with child forms of Hakkaku and Ginta.

He climb onto the bed, straddled her bare hips, took her frail neck in his large bloodied hands and began to squeeze what was left of the life from her body.

_**

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**_

Simonkal of Inuy

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The hanyou set up abruptly gasping for air, tears streaming down his face, his heart racing within his chest.

He didn't know what had happened or why. One minute he was talking to his brother and the others about Kagome and what they needed to do next and then he was clawing at his neck and gasping for air.

_Kagome, _he thought not knowing why.

He glanced around the room at the faces that was staring at him with varying degrees of horror. He rubbed his neck and stood to his feet staggering slightly.

_Kagome, _he said to himself again and he reached for the wall missing it altogether and fell flat on his face unable to move, his mind working perfectly, feeling everything tenfold and amplified.

The others jumped up and ran to him. He wanted to tell them to leave him alone and to go away, but his mouth wouldn't move, his body ached painfully and his throat…his throat felt like it was being held closed, and his chest burned.

_Kagome, _he thought again as someone rolled him over, it was Sesshomaru.

He knew tears were running down the sides of his face, but he didn't care. This… What was happening to him was unexplainable! It made no sense! What the hell was this about?

"Inuyasha!" Rin screamed, dropping beside Sesshomaru and Mrs. H., who were already at his side. _She looks so worried, _he thought staring back at her, _Is it for me or is she afraid that if something happens to me, she won't see Kagome again?_

"I'll call the ambulance," Nola shouted from somewhere to his left. He wanted to growl at her and tell her to go lick herself, but his mouth wouldn't move. Shit even his arms felt fucked up and his ribs and back…

_Kagome, _he thought again as he stared up at the ceiling his eyes unfocused, his breathing labored and heavy as if he was human and he'd just finished running a marathon. _Kagome, don't leave me. Don't fucking leave me. _The thought came before he could stop it.

"No!" his brother shouted as he carefully picked him up off the floor and laid him on the couch. He positioned him so that his head was laying flat against the cushions and Inuyasha couldn't help but to wonder who's ass was sitting here and had they taken a shit today. "It'll pass," Sesshomaru finished.

Inuyasha closed his eyes, unable to grasp this pain this sensation. He'd been fine. He'd arrived back at the house 30 minutes ago to pick up the cell phone and go back out. He was fine. He was fucking fine and now…now he was…paralyzed.

"What? We need an ambulance for him," Rin told Sesshomaru quickly, her agitation apparent with every syllable that fell from her lips.

Sesshomaru growled at her and she cowered submissively, whatever she was going to say dying on her lips.

"What's going on?" Mrs H. asked and Inuyasha heard Sesshomaru lie for the first time in his life.

"This happens all the time. He's had these episodes since he was a child. He just needs to rest. The stress of the day is getting to him."

Inuyasha's body spasmed, his back rising up off the couch as if he was about to levitate and the darkness, unwelcomed yet welcomed consumed him like a flame going out. His last coherent thought, _Why is he lying? I didn't know he could do that._

**Until Next Time**…(Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated!)

**Next Chapter:** Unsung Heroes

_**A**_**cknowledgements:**

Bbgirl15 ~ Shuriyaki-San ~ Angle Eyed Vampire ~ NiftyKitchenKnives ~ LoVe23 ~ Hanmajoerin ~ Caitibug323 ~ Moonlit Showers aka Inukag Fan ~ PunkLover ~ TiffanyM ~ Kinky-Hoe ~ Island Heart ~ KittyMay ~ The Dreaming Soul ~ DangitSesshomaru ~ Nozome ~ Sahora ~ Jamzet A Heart Broken Angel ~ Lily13 ~ xXKimiko SakakiXx ~ mch2010 ~ Litayoliechi ~ SesshiesPersonalPriestess ~ HollisterGirl29 ~ Spiriuality ~Lynzi18 ~ Hate This And I'll Love You ~ Bzee10 ~ Say0mi Saki ~ AzureFlames ~ Lullabyqueen18 ~ Kagome2 aka me ~ Wolf69 ~ Tazzy ~


	61. Unsung Heros

**A/N:** As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness!! Guys I'm really sorry about the long wait, but my life has been in utter chaos for the past few months. First, on Super Bowl Sunday while I was sitting at home, alone, trying to catch the commercials, some jerk-off decided he wanted to kick my patio door in. He made it as far as the kitchen, but Poly-anne, my 9mm Glock, ran his butt off with quickness. Even to this day, it still bothers me so much so I can barely focus on writing. Anyway, just when I'm starting to believe everything is going to be okay, I learn my beautiful, wonderful, loving, and inspirational beta for the past 6 years, Shawn Laverne aka Neko, passed away on the 1st of February. That news, my friends, crushed my very soul. I know many of you did not know her, but trust me, to know her was to love and adore her. She will be missed until the day I leave this earth and pass into the next. To her family, Jess, Linus and her son, please accept my deepest condolences and know that you are not alone in your grief.

**For reasons already explained, this chapter has not been properly edited.**

_**The formatting on this site sucks ass!!**_

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**Disclaimer**: I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of Nya, Nola, Dinshu, Maki, Moki, Takira, Gage, Dr. Aikio, and the Spinx. All others belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

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**Chapter 61: ****Unsung Heroes**

Ayame fidgeted as she gazed out the window of the Lexus and into the forest lining the small clearing. Hakkaku had been in the cabin for less than 7 minutes, but it felt like he'd been gone for an eternity. At this point she wasn't sure if she was more afraid for his safety, her mate's safety or for the girl's. She leaned forward, her anxiety rising as she heard the sound of glass breaking in the back of the cabin.

She didn't realize this, but her first thought wasn't of Kouga or the girl, it was of Hakkaku. Before she could stop herself, her hand was on the handle, her promise forgotten. She was out the car, up the stairs and down the short hall way before she knew what she was doing.

As she drew closer to the master bedroom the sounds and scents of mayhem grew more poignant. The metallic scent of blood clogged her nostrils and brought her up short as she reached out to push the already ajar bedroom door further open.

Ayame gasped and stepped back at the sight that greeted her. Kouga and Hakkaku were violently tearing at one another with claws and teeth. Kouga was trying to tear open Hakkaku's jugular with his teeth, but every time he got close, Hakkaku would either kick him back or punch him in the side of his head, sending him flying to the side. Kouga would rebound quickly, but Hakkaku was fast…too fast. He jabbed and ducked, rounding on Kouga ever so often, but he never allowed Kouga to get his hands on him. Ayame figured Hakkaku knew Kouga was stronger than him, so he used what he had to combat it, his speed and his stamina.

Her eyes moved from the two men, around the room, and across the broken destroyed décor she'd spent months tediously picking out. She sighed deciding all of it could be replaced and stepped into the room being careful not to involve herself in their fight.

She stopped short, her attention riveted on a blood soaked bundle lying across the disheveled bed. Her world slowed as she neared the bed. She reached out slowly, one finger pushing tentatively against the bundle.

There was no response.

She repeated her action, but this time with a little more force.

Still, there was no response.

Ayame stepped forward, crawled up on the bed, and un-wrapped the blanket. She didn't know what she thought she was going to find, but what she saw caused her to leap back off the bed as a wayward scream rose up from the back of her throat and escaped through her lips.

_How could he do this? How could he… He's an animal! He's… Oh gods! Oh…oh…oh gods, _she wept as she stared at the bloodied mess before her.

The portion of the woman's face and head she could see no longer looked human or even demon for that matter. Her skull appeared deformed as if it had collapsed in on itself. The area where a closed eyelid should have been was swollen shut and bruised purple. Her nose looked as if it was smashed into her face and her lips-the portion she could see-was split and hanging open showing a few broken teeth.

Ayame turned away from the macabre display, her heart racing in her chest, filled with anger and resentment for the _thing _that had done this. Regardless of the issues she had with this girl; no one deserved this! No one!

Before she knew what she was doing, Ayame threw herself in the middle of the fight. She was on Kouga's back, her legs wrapped around his waist, her nails digging into the face she once kissed and caressed with love and adoration.

"How could you do this?!" She felt her nails break through his skin and she yanked back bringing his flesh with her. Warm blood gushed down his face and over her hands, but she didn't care. He twisted, growled and tried to throw her off, but she held on tight. "You're an animal, a fucking animal," she shouted, her nails moving down to his neck in raking motion. "Monster!"

Someone was shouting her name, but she was too angry…too incensed to care. She knew she couldn't beat Kouga, but she'd be damned if she let him walk away from this unscathed. "I hate you! I hate you!" Her eyes flitted over the girl's prone form for just a moment as he pushed back knocking her against the far wall so that she jostled loose. In that moment, she wasn't sure if she was angry at him for what he'd done here or if she was just angry with him for the way he'd treated her over the years. Her legs slipped and he took that moment to reach back and throw her across the room.

Ayame landed hard, but the adrenaline pumping through her forced her back to her feet. She glared at him, red flames burning in her green irises. She brought her bloodied right hand to her mouth and licked at his blood as she snarled at him, silently promising him a fight to the death. In this moment she was more beast than she'd ever been in her whole life. She didn't know what was making her this way, but she knew if there was a breath of life left in the human, she was going to protect it. It didn't matter if she was at one time his love interest. None of that mattered now, because this…killing…beating was more than deplorable.

"I'll see you dead," she growled.

"Fuck…you," Kouga hissed as she dropped low to the ground, her hands going to the ground between her legs ready to pounce.

He grinned at her, his fangs bared. "Now you choose to act like you're more than just a cold fucking fish? Well, fuck you and the wolf you rode in here on."

They charged at one another simultaneously. His eyes were filled with hatred and hers with vengeance, but they never had the chance to connect, or rip each other apart like they both wanted to. Instead, there was a loud bang, and then another one and she found herself pinned against the wall behind Hakkaku, his gun gripped tightly in his hand. Her ears were ringing, her blood pulsing swiftly through her veins as she gasped for air while trying to control the extra charge of adrenaline racing through her. It fed her need for vengeance and violence.

She pushed away from Hakkaku and stared at where Kouga stood looking at the two of them, a look of disbelief on his face. He staggered forward, blood bubbling up out of his mouth as he mouthed something indiscernible. He staggered momentarily, reached for her, and fell flat on his back, his arms out to his side, his legs together as if he was Jesus and Judas had just betrayed him.

Ayame stared down at the carnage as Hakkaku walked around and behind her without shooting a passing glance at his longtime friend. The madness she'd been feeling faded slowly as she stared at Kouga's prone body. He stared vacantly up at the ceiling, his lungs laboring for what little air they could get.

She started to move, her feet carrying her towards him aimlessly. _Kouga, _she thought forgetting about the things he'd done and the girl he'd savagely beaten.

"Kouga," she whispered out loud. A voice, soft but manly, brought her up short. It demanded her attention in away Kouga's never did. She blinked, forced herself through the haze that was her mind and turned to him.

Hakkaku was standing at the door, the girl-what was left of her-wrapped in the blanket. "Ayame, we need to go. We have to get her to the hospital." His eyes were patient, but his body spoke the truth. He was annoyed with her.

She glanced down at Kouga's form, his eyes now closed. A tear trickled down her cheek as she stepped away from him and towards and pass Hakkaku.

"Get her purse," Hakkaku told her. "They're going to need her identification."

Picking it up with one hand, Ayame swiped the back of her hand over her reddened cheeks. She stopped, glanced down the hallway towards the room holding her mate and asked, "What about Kouga?"

Hakkaku stopped long enough to glance at her in exasperation before he continued out the door without a word.

_He's my mate. I can't just leave him like that, but…but the girl…but Hakkaku… I can't…I can't…_

She turned and started back towards the room, but strong hands around her waist lifting her, stopped her in her tracks. She broke down, knowing she was just about to make another big mistake, and once again Hakkaku had intervened and saved her from herself.

"I'm sorry," she whispered between sniffles. She had no idea to whom she was apologizing. Hakkaku, the girl, Kouga, or herself. "I'm sorry," she whispered again as she spun in Hakkaku's arms and buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"I know," Hakkaku replied softly as he cradled her to him. "I know."

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

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_Everything the fucking man touches turns to shit! _

Hakkaku sped down the road. He glanced in his review mirror at the bloodied bundle staining his cream colored leather seats. The only reason he was doing this now is because he could hear her heart struggling within her fragile chest. It was unsteady and weak, but it was there, he was sure of that. He was certain the only thing keeping her alive at the moment was her mate's demon blood, but he knew if he didn't get her to a hospital soon even that wouldn't keep her alive much longer.

When he picked her up, she'd felt like a jelly fish in his hands. There wasn't a bone he touched that wasn't broken in his opinion, but then he wasn't a doctor either. Then her face; it had been mutilated as if Kouga was trying to purposefully disfigure her. Her upper lip was torn open from the base of her nose downward. A piece of her earlobe was missing from her right ear and her hand, the left one, was bent in such a weird way he knew it was broken too. He hadn't seen much more of her, but he knew there was much too much blood coming from her to be just from those wounds. To make matters worse, the woman was stark ass naked when he'd found her.

He figured that was probably what pissed him off most. Kouga had to have scented her and known she was mated. Everyone, even some humans with common sense knew you didn't fuck with a person that was claimed, because there wasn't anyone in heaven nor hell who would stop the shit storm that would come down on you from the person's mate.

That thought put everything into perspective for him.

Kouga knew what he was doing. He had to have known. He just didn't care. That had to be the case. He just didn't care, because she was mated to a half-breed. Kouga had always thought half-breeds, as few as there were, were abominations and would rather see one dead than breathe a breath of air. Hakkaku didn't understand why and probably never would, but that thought angered him even more. He considered turning around and going back to the cabin so he could pop a few more caps in Kouga's sorry ass, but he thought better of it as he gripped the steering wheel and floored the pedal.

They rode in silence for a few more miles before Ayame broke the silence drawing him out of his angry musings, "Do you think she'll make it?"

He glanced at Ayame and then back at the road. "I don't know. I hope so, but as of now her survival has nothing to do with her human blood and everything to do with her mate's blood."

"Why would he do this to her? What did she do to Kouga to make his so angry?"

The car dropped drastically in speed only to pick up again. He growled to himself and huffed, "Nobody has to make Kouga mad for him to do anything, Ayame! What did you do to him to make him choke you?"

She didn't answer as her hands dropped to her lap, her head hanging sullenly.

"Look, Kouga has always been an ass, but this shit he did to Kagome even took me by surprise. I don't know why he did it and I don't really care. It's un-fucking-excusable." He looked at her then and finished, "So, if you're hoping I'll say something to make what he's done okay, you can keep hoping because it ain't going to happen."

Ayame wiped at her eyes and shook her head. "No, I just…I just wanted to know…" She stumbled over her words and continued, "Why didn't I see this? Why didn't I see him for who he really is?"

Hakkaku, flew pass a slow truck, up a hill, and bore to the right, taking the turn at 85 mph. In front of him there was a sign that read hospital 25 miles. He didn't answer her.

They drove in silence for a while longer before Ayame said, "You can't take her in, Hakkaku, I'll have to do it." She shrugged out of her cashmere coat which was smeared with Kouga's blood and ran her fingers through her mussed hair. She then reached into her purse and pulled out a small compact mirror.

"Why you?" he questioned as he watched her pull a handkerchief from her purse and begin dabbing at the blood smearing her cheeks.

"Because if you go in there they might arrest you, but if I go, they'll just think I found her or that she's my friend."

He swerved missing a goat and hissed, "You think I care about going to jail? I didn't do shit!"

"Not to day," she mumbled to herself, but he heard her anyway and he understood. This was her way of protecting him for whatever the reason. Truthfully, he didn't need her protection because anyone he killed was buried in cement or thrown to the sharks. Even though he'd been in this business for a while he could count on one hand how many people he'd taken out, but he did watch quite a few people get done in and that-he admitted-could do him in. Still, he didn't want to push Kagome off on her. He'd made the decision to go save her; she was his responsibility and his alone. At least, until her family was called.

He knew when that happened; he'd have to disappear for awhile because the hanyou and probably even his brother would be on a war path. If he was in the hanyou's shoes there wouldn't be a person on this earth who would've been able to stop him, he was sure of that.

Hakkaku thought for a moment longer, and then told her, "Fine you can take her, but just tell them you found her in a ditch. I'm not telling you to say that because I want to protect Kouga, but this, what he's done is bigger than just him. It could destroy us all."

Ayame glanced at him and nodded. "I'll tell them that and then leave when no one is looking."

"Yeah, and don't forget to give them her purse. That way they will know who she is and who they need to contact."

"Okay," she agreed and then asked, "How will we know if she's okay? I mean if she makes it?"

"L…et…go…," a weak barely audible voice murmured. Both parties turned to look at the bundle still lying exactly where Hakkaku had laid it.

Hakkaku turned back and retorted, "I think her chances might be better than we think."

Ayame turned and looked at him. "Will you be waiting on me?" she asked earnestly.

He shot her a half smile and declared seriously as he reached for her hand, "You're the Bonnie to my Clyde, I could never leave you."

She smiled weakly back at him before turning to look at the unconscious girl in the back seat again. Hakkaku looked away and wondered for the millionth time as he glanced down at the clock that read 11:44 pm, _Why does everything that fucker touch turn to straight shit?!_

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

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Kouga stumbled through the house, vibrant fury ablaze in colors of reds and yellows rolling through him. He could taste it as if it were the blood coating his mouth at the moment. He staggered, leaning against the wall as he clutched his stomach with one hand, covering the two entry wounds where the bullets had passed through his midsection.

He couldn't say for sure, but he was certain one of the damn things had nicked his left lung and one of his ribs. The other passed straight through him, only tearing at muscle. He didn't like being shot, because it hurt like hell, but he figured it was better than being dead. Already, he could feel his insides working to heal itself. Yep, it was definitely better than being dead.

He fell forward, hitting the back of the sofa in the living room and rolled down onto his back. He inhaled as deeply as his wounds would allow and stared up at the ceiling as he permitted the scene from earlier to play within his mind. He could only remember fragments of the evening, but he was certain he and Hakkaku had fought and the dried up cow, Ayame, had tried to rip his face off.

_If I knew she was that feisty, I would've paid her a little more attention. _He wheezed, his insides burning as he fought back the bile that threatened to push up through his throat.

He'd pay both of them back tenfold. He'd slit Hakkaku's neck from ear to ear and slice him open from groin to chest. Then he would dance on his innards. Ayame, that rancid cunt, when he got his hands on her, he'd rip her tongue from her mouth and strangle her with it.

He laughed at his thoughts and almost choked on his blood as the ceiling above him swayed and twisted in on itself.

The bastards probably thought he was dead. The damn idiots. But he had something in store for them, all of them, including that…that two timing mutt lover, Kagome. He swore under his breath and clutched his stomach as he tried to roll to his side but failed. If she wasn't already dead, he'd get her too. He'd get her and he'd finish it this time. How dare she? How dare she mate with someone who wasn't him?! How fucking dare she?

_A fucking half-breed… A fucking half-breed… She fucked a fucking mutt bare backed! Nasty bitch! I'll get her… I'll teach her about passing my pussy around! Has everyone lost their goddamn minds?!_

Did she think he'd find out about it and say he was happy for her? Did she think he'd send her a gift and wish them well? Did she think he was done with her? Did she fucking think he was done?

He coughed out something caught between a laugh and a groan and closed his eyes, savoring the quiet. More than likely this would be the last time he would be able to enjoy it. He laid there a moment longer fighting the desire to cry out in pain and agony. His insides felt like they were on fire. No, no, they were in knots and on fire. No, no, they were in knots, on fire and someone was pouring acid on them. Yep, that had to be the case, he decided as he fought through the pain, pulled what was left of his strength to the forefront, and rolled onto his side. He then used the chair next to him as leverage to pull himself back to his feet.

The room spun around him for a moment longer, before he started towards the door again. Reaching for it, he paid no attention to the blood staining his hands as he pushed the storm door open and stepped through it.

He held on to the railing for dear life as he stumbled down the stairs and towards his car. Kouga wheezed again and coughed. Spitting out a glob of blood, he staggered to his car, pressed his thumb against the finger print reader and waited for the door to pop open.

He climbed in, laid his head back against the headrest, and said as calmly as he could, knowing that the car wouldn't obey if he didn't, "Crank." It did and he sighed in relief. At least something was working to his benefit.

"Call Maki," he said into the air and a minute later the phone was ringing, the sound coming from every corner of the automobile. 4 rings later someone picked up.

"Yes?"

"A…re you and your brother in Kyoto?"

There was silence before the voice responded, "We can be."

"Good, meet me at the spot," he told him, his voice hoarse and laced with pain, "And this is between us-no one else."

Maki was quiet as if thinking about saying something and deciding against it.

"In the morning, be here."

"We will," Maki replied seconds before the call disconnected."

Kouga sat there for a moment longer stewing with rage at everyone and everything, before darkness fell over him, sucking him down into pit filled with revenge and anguish.

"Fucking bastards," was the last thing he mumbled as his head fell back, and then slid off the head rest and landed between the headrest and upper door jam.

_**

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**_

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

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Ayame eyed their surroundings carefully as Hakkaku pulled up outside the emergency entrance. She wasn't sure if he'd done it on purpose, but he parked directly under the surveillance camera so it wouldn't capture either of their likenesses. At most, it might catch the kind of car he was driving.

It wasn't a big metropolitan hospital, but it was a hospital just the same. Where most hospitals were at least 4 stories tall and stretched the length of 3 city blocks, this one barely took up half the block and was only two stories tall. It was stucco white on the outside with a neon red cross at the highest point that read Toshiro General.

As Hakkaku shifted the car into park and jumped out, she unfastened her seat belt and opened her door. Climbing out the car as Hakkaku leaned into the backseat and pulled the girl from the car, the blanket falling from her swollen and bruised face, Ayame stepped back recoiling at the hideous sight. "Maybe we should've cleaned her up first."

Hakkaku ignored her as he should've and asked, "She's not going to be too heavy for you to carry, is she?"

Ayame shook off her reverie. She may have been somewhat smaller than the woman she was going to carry, but she was a full blooded demon. Power ran through every cell of her body. She nodded once.

"Good," Hakkaku intoned as he passed Kagome to her. She took her in her arms cradling her head against her shoulder as if she was a child. Ayame felt nothing but remorse for the thoughts she had for the girl, the plans she'd made to kill her, and the hatred she'd developed for her when she was as much a victim as she herself was if not more so.

"You got her?"

"Yes," she replied quickly not looking up at him.

A second later, Hakkaku was lifting her chin. He wiped away the tears she hadn't realized were falling and smiled at her. Why hadn't she seen him like this before? Had Kouga consumed so much of who she was she couldn't see past him to Hakkaku?

"This, what you're doing is a good thing, Ayame," he told her.

She nodded, more tears coming to her eyes. "Hakkaku, I…I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

He dismissed her with snort and pushed her gently towards emergency doors.

She staggered almost dropping the girl, but righted her footing just in time. She glanced over her shoulder at Hakkaku. He was leaning against his car, his arms crossed over his chest, his feet crossed at the ankle, his eyes serious and unreadable, but his lips were turned up at the ends.

She smiled back sullenly and turned back to the automatic doors which opened before her. Quickening her pace, she stepped quickly through the second set of doors, pass the guard's desk, and started screaming, "Help! Someone please! Help me!"

The emergency room wasn't crowded, but there were a few onlookers meandering about. An old man in his late sixties, a young couple with a child about 5, and another couple who she didn't have time to take in.

"I need a doctor," she shouted again making her way further into the room and towards a set of large steel doors. They opened automatically and she stumbled through. Doctors and nurses were littered here and there.

She made her way towards one who was running up to her. "Please you have to help her! You have to save her," she cried.

The doctor glanced down at the woman and gasped his eyes bulging dramatically. "Put her in here!" he ordered. "What the hell happened to her? Was she in some kind of car accident?" Before she could respond, he shouted orders at a few other doctors and nurses.

Ayame turned to put Kagome down on the bed and stepped back as 9 or 10 nurses and doctors of varying ages and gender rushed into the room with machines and devices she'd only seen on television and in documentaries.

Everything was moving so fast she couldn't keep up with what they were doing. One minute Kagome was wrapped in a blanket, the next she was naked, a tube running from her arm, another stuck in her mouth, her neck in a brace, her arms out to her side, and then a machine started beeping. Ayame looked up as she stepped back away from the chaotic seen before her. She stared at the doctors and nurses who were talking swiftly amongst each other about getting 20 cc's of this and 40 cc's of that, preparing an operating room, and scheduling a cat scan, and x-rays.

Her hand was covering her mouth as she watched the scene still unable to believe someone she'd shared a bed with was capable of beating anyone in such a way.

"Ma'am," someone said tapping her on her shoulder.

Ayame spun to face the person. "What?"

"I need to know her name? Is she a friend of yours? What happened to her?" the woman asked prepared to jot everything down on her clip board.

Ayame stepped back and stared from the woman to the scene going on a few feet from them. One of the nurses stepped away from the chaos and closed the glass door, but Ayame could still hear the machine as the doctors worked feverishly to save her husband's obsession and downfall.

She wiped at her eyes again, forgetting about the woman beside her for a moment.

"Ma'am," we need to know who she is and what your relationship is to her. "She's going to have to go into surgery immediately if we have any chance of saving her life," the woman told her.

"I…I don't know her. I was driving by and I saw her in a ditch," she told the woman. "I couldn't leave her there, so I brought her here," she finished. Ayame thrust the purse at the nurse. "Here, this was next to her body."

Ayame turned from the woman who was staring at her as if she had "liar" written across her forehead. She decided quickly she didn't care what she or anyone else thought. She'd brought her here for them to help her; she'd done the right thing regardless of what anyone else thought!

It happened almost before she knew it was happening.

Stepping away from the glass doors, she started shaking her head slowly as she heard Kagome's heart skip one beat, then two, and then she heard the heart monitor spike high once, twice and then flat line.

She watched for a moment more as the doctors used electric heart pads and various other things on the woman in order to get her heart to start again, but nothing seemed to work. The green line remained flat, the beep vociferous and so out of place that for a second she forgot where she was.

The sound of death was deafening to her inhuman ears so she did the only thing she could. She turned and bolted for the entrance. Hakkaku was outside waiting and she fell into his arms weeping heavily. She tried and failed several times to tell him what had happened, but as his arms encircled her, she knew words were not needed. He understood the girl…the woman, Kagome, was gone. Kouga had succeeded in killing her.

"Damn," he whispered into the crown of her head and she swore she smelled the salt of his tears.

_**

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**_

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

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Morning broke over the Higurashi compound like death descending on the expectant. It was welcomed in the most desperate of ways and yet undeniably unwelcomed. The house was quiet, too quiet and the sound in itself was a riotous thing to listen too.

Every occupant in the two storey home was wide awake, but each so lost within their own thoughts he and she was oblivious to the people nearby.

The matriarch or the Higurashi household was in the kitchen cooking everything she could get her hands on.

Nola was cleaning and reorganizing the pantry. She'd already cleaned all of the bathrooms, the bedrooms, washed all the soiled clothing, and cleaned the areas of the kitchen she could reach without getting in her adopted mother's way.

Souta was sitting at the table, his forehead resting on the table, and his eyes closed. His hands were gripping the legs of the table to his right and left as if it would hold him to this realm.

Sesshomaru stood by the living room window staring out at the yard, his hands shoved deep in the pocket of his wrinkled tan slacks. His face set in its usual impassive scowl as he stared at the rays of light glinting off the ancient oak tree sitting a few yards from the house.

Rin, who had arrived 15 minutes earlier from the hotel, was sitting on the couch with Inuyasha's head in her lap. She was staring off into space as she played with his ears and ran her fingers through his mane.

The hanyou lay motionless allowing her to do as she wished while he stared across the room at a picture of Kagome when she was maybe a few years younger. She was laughing at something he couldn't see and as he laid there, he kept telling himself he'd see her smile again. He had believe this really wasn't as bad as he knew it was.

"Breakfast is ready," Mrs. H. called from the kitchen.

No one moved.

Sesshomaru turned from the window looked down at his mate and brother and looked back towards the window. He'd thought about going back out, but quickly decided against it. There really was no point, was there?

Rin ran her fingers down the side of Inuyasha's face, under his chin and then back up. "Lover, you need to eat something," she told the hanyou.

Inuyasha didn't respond.

"You haven't eaten in almost two days," she added gently. "You have to keep your strength up.

"Why?" he responded quietly, his voice soft and vacant of any emotion. "Will it bring her back? Will it bring her home?"

"Inu-"

Sesshomaru cut her off, "Leave him be, Rin. He will eat when he feels it is time."

"But," she started to say, but trailed off as she stared down at the hanyou's somber face. Her eyes followed his and she sighed lightly as she looked away from the picture smiling back at the two of them. _How dare you hurt him like this, _she hissed silently as she fought back the tears she could feel building up. _How could you hurt him like this? How could you do this to him?_

In the kitchen, Mrs. H. sat a plate down in front of Souta, who pushed it away quickly and laid his head back down on the cold table top. _Why haven't you come home yet, Sis? I can't do this without you._

"Souta you have to eat," Mrs. H. told him in an all too chipper voice. He said nothing as she sat down another plate and turned to Nola. "Nola, please stop that. I don't think the pantry is going get any cleaner than it already is."

Nola looked back at her and smiled weakly. Dropping her head, she replied, "I'll eat in a second, Mom, I promise," and then went back to scrubbing a spot that was already spotless.

Mrs. H. turned away from her and stepped towards the hallway leading to the living room. The phone rang once, twice, three times and she stopped, picked it up and set it back on the cradle without seeing who it was or why they were calling. She then proceeded past it as if nothing had just happened.

She didn't see the look Souta and Nola shot her, and honestly even if she'd been looking she wouldn't have. Stepping into the living room with her daughter's friends and boyfriend, she smiled politely and stated as each of them with the exception of Inuyasha looked at her, "I don't know if you all heard me, but breakfast is ready."

Rin smiled up at her, but didn't respond as her drawn eyes searched the woman's face for an answer to what she'd just done.

Sesshomaru pushed away from the window and stepped towards her. "I'm sorry, we did not hear your first call," he lied for the second time in his life as he proceeded pass the woman and into the kitchen.

Rin ran her hand up and down Inuyasha's arm soothingly. "Inuyasha, let's go into the kitchen. Higurashi-sama has cooked for us."

The hanyou sat up slowly allowing Rin room to move from beneath him, but he didn't move to get up. Instead, he stretched back out on the couch and closed his eyes. His heart felt swollen and bruised, his limbs ladened. If death wanted him so badly, why didn't it just take him? He wouldn't fight it. Not now. He wouldn't fight it.

The phone started to ring again and Mrs. H. turned quickly running back to it. Picking it up again, she slammed it down on the hook, sighed, and turned to the occupants of the kitchen. "Please sit, eat," she told Sesshomaru and Rin.

Souta stood then and questioned as he turned to her, "What if that was news about Kagome, Mom? What if it was Kagome calling us for help?"

She smiled as she picked up the tea kettle and shuffled over to the table. "It wasn't it."

"How do you know," he questioned, challenging her.

"A mother knows," she told him dismissively.

Nola was now sitting at the table beside Rin, but she wasn't paying attention to the food, she was watching her mate and his mother.

"What's wrong with you," Souta questioned, his tone rising.

Mrs. H. poured some hot water into a few of the ceramic cups she only used on special occasions and basically ignored him.

"Why are you walking around here acting like Kagome isn't missing?" Souta questioned, refusing to let her off the hook that easy.

She smiled patiently at him and said in a motherly tone, "Well, because she's not missing."

"What?" he scoffed in disbelief.

She slid into her seat at the head of the table and continued conversationally, "I spoke to her last night."

Chopsticks clanked softly against plates, sounds of groans filled the room, and the tension rose like lava in an active volcano.

"What?" Souta seethed, his hands fisted. "When did you speak to her? What did she say? Where is she? When is she coming home?"

Mrs. H. smiled up at him sadly as she reached over and patted the chair to her right. "Come sit down, Souta."

He stared at her in disbelief for long moment before he took a step back away from her. "You've lost it, haven't you?"

"Souta, don't be disrespectful," Nola reprimanded, standing from her seat.

"You…don't you fucking follow her up," Souta directed. "Mom's lost it! Kagome didn't call because she can't!" Souta took another step back, turned and looked around the kitchen. Grabbing the first thing he saw, he hurled it against the far wall. "My sister is gone and she's in here cooking a feast and shit like there's something to celebrate! Then…then she's going to say she talked to her!" he bellowed, "Bullshit! Bullshit!"

"Souta!" his mother chastised. "Watch your language."

He reached out and grabbed another pan and through it with all his might at the kitchen door. "Bullshit!" he shouted at her, "You expect us to believe you spoke to her and she didn't ask to speak to Inuyasha of all people?" he questioned, hell bent on proving she was telling exaggerated tales.

His mother shot him a patronizing look and said, "She didn't have time."

"What?" it was Rin this time. "She didn't have time?" she questioned incredulously.

Sesshomaru pushed his plate away as if he needed to be ready to sprint if something unforeseen took place.

Mrs. H. turned to Rin as she used her chopsticks to lift a morsel of food to her lips. "She said she was sorry for worrying me. She wanted to let me know she was okay now."

All of the parties in the kitchen looked at her. No one said anything as she continued, "She was so beautiful, radiant, just like she was on her graduation day." She smiled to herself as she picked up another bit of food and shoved it in her mouth. "That's really not true, is it? My Kagome was always radiant, even on her worse days."

There was soft groan and everyone turned to look at Nola and then back to the matriarch of the home.

"She was in a red and gold kimono, just like the one I'd worn the day I got married. It had the prettiest green and white cherry blossoms on it. I reached out to touch it because the material looked so-"

"Kaiden," Souta bellowed cutting her off. "You're telling me my fucking sister is a ghost?" he questioned in disbelief. She didn't look at him or confirm what he'd asked. He turned and bolted from the kitchen, his voice trailing out behind him, "Bullshit! She wouldn't leave me! My sister wouldn't leave me! You're crazy! You've lost it!"

A low whine could be heard coming from the living room, and Sesshomaru stood to his feet.

Nola was gone a fraction of a second later, leaving Rin staring at Mrs. H. while Sesshomaru stared between her and the hallway unsure for the first time in his life as to what he should do next.

The phone started ringing again and Mrs. H. stood to her feet to get it, but Sesshomaru moved first and stepped over to retrieve it.

She stared at him her eyes pleading with him to hang it up, but he didn't.

"Higurashi residence," he stated, he hung up a second later and advised, "Wrong number."

He started to step back towards the table, but stopped and turned down the hallway. Stepping into the living room, he watched Inuyasha push to his feet, his eyes rimmed in red, his hair matted to the side of his head.

"Bitch won't speak to me. He won't tell me she's okay," the hanyou whispered. His body swayed as if it were a dead tree in the wind. "Bitch always talks to me. He let…he let…" he swayed and Sesshomaru caught him. "If Bitch will just talk to me one more time, I'll know she's okay," he finished in a whisper as if talking to himself.

Sesshomaru could tell Inuyasha was weak physically and seemed emotionally not there, so he ignored his statements altogether and turned towards the front door where he could hear two sets of feet. Pulling the door open, he greeted, "Good morning," and stepped back allowing them entrance.

The cops looked at the white haired demons carefully taking each one of them in slowly, and then glanced around the house as if searching for someone, but not finding him or her.

Souta came to the top of the stairs and stopped. Gripping the banister, he sat down on the top step, Nola standing behind him.

Rin came out of the kitchen and stood beside Inuyasha who was now standing beside Sesshomaru, her fingers interlaced with his as if she were trying to lend him her strength.

The older of the officers dropped his head for a moment and raised it as he asked, "Higurashi-sama, is she here?"

"Yes, I'm right here," she replied stepping out the kitchen as she wiped her hands on a small white towel.

"Higurashi-sama," the older cop started, but she stopped him.

"Please have a seat," she told him pointing to the living room, a pleasant smile on her face. "Would you like some tea?"

The officer sighed heavily and looked back at his partner. "No ma'am, but thanks for offering." He shuffled his feet a little and looked around at the group again before he said, "Perhaps we should all sit down."

The gathering parted and the lady of the house showed them into the living room. Sesshomaru, Rin and Inuyasha remained where they were and were joined by Souta and Nola as the two cops sat down across from Mrs. H.

"A girl was found on the side of the road about an hour and half's drive from here a little before midnight," the younger cop started. He reached into his pocket as he continued, "She was brought into the local hospital by a woman who said she just found her, but she disappeared before anyone could really question her."

Mrs. H's smile fell from her face as she twisted the towel in her hand. "Yes, and what does this have to do with my Kagome?"

"Well, the woman who brought her in had her purse. The local police didn't find an ID but they did find this," the older cop interjected as the younger cop handed her a small picture. "The picture resembles the one we got from you yesterday."

It was of Kagome and Inuyasha. She could tell it was taken in one of those booths that can be found in any mall. Inuyasha was trying to cover his face, and Kagome was laughing and tugging at his hands. Mrs. H's hand went to her chest and she gasp as she stared down at it.

The cop looked up at Inuyasha, who was staring at the corner of the post card picture, his face unreadable.

"Inuyasha," Mrs. H. said, holding the picture out to him.

He stepped up slowly took the picture from her and stared down at it. He remembered this picture and when it was taken. It was the day they bought Ashton. They'd been passing a little photo kiosk and she pulled him in. He'd tried to get out, but she held him there with her womanly wiles. He looked from the picture to the cops and asked almost too quietly, "Where is she?"

The cops looked at one another.

The hanyou closed his eyes, shook his head, and dropped his hands to his sides. "Kagome… If…if you have this it means you found her, right? Where is she?" For the first time that morning, his voice held just a touch of hope.

The younger cop stood up and faced the hanyou. "Well, that's the difficult part." He scratched his head, and fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Look, just say what it is you have to say," Souta hissed, stepping up next to Inuyasha. Is my sister alive of dead? Did you find her or not?"

The hanyou lifted the picture and looked at it again before he let his hand drop. "Where is she?"

"We don't know if it's her or not," the older cop said, standing to his feet. "We haven't seen her, but from what the doctors told the local officers, who called us, she was beaten so badly she's sort of…unrecognizable."

No one saw it coming. One minute he was standing there as if calm and the next a harsh roar ripped through the small room, as the sound of furniture crashing and breaking echoed from every corner of the room. When the noise stopped, Inuyasha was in the far corner, the older cop gripped tightly by the neck with one hand while the hanyou's other hand reared back and was coming down quick for a death kill.

Sesshomaru sprang forward grabbing Inuyasha's arm. "Inuyasha, don't do this," he told him quickly. "It may not be your… It may not be her." That was his third lie, but he needed to give the hanyou hope when it seemed like there was none.

The hanyou growled again as if he didn't hear a thing his brother had said. His hand around the human's neck tightened and his claws elongated. The only thing his mind comprehended was someone had actually hurt her. Someone had beaten her. Someone…that bastard had beaten his fucking mate. Inuyasha tried to shake Sesshomaru off, but his brother held on to him not giving him an inch to move. There was noise behind him, voices that sounded like they were all whispering secrets he weren't supposed to know. They quieted, and then her voice came softly as if she were whispering in his ear, "_I'm tired. I'm so tired. Let me go. Please, Inuyasha, let me go."_

The hanyou dropped the man, who gasped for air and crawled away from him while reaching for his gun. Turning on the group, he scanned their faces quickly and grumbled so low no one but his brother and probably Nola heard him, "I can't. So don't ask me to." There was no response.

The older cop stood to his feet, his partner in front of him. "Because this has been a stressful time, we're going to let that go, but should any of you have any other ideas…"

"Where…is…she?" Inuyasha asked, not turning back to face the detectives. His fists were clenched at his sides, his head down, his ragged bangs hiding his eyes from view.

"If it is her, she was on her way into surgery when we got the call earlier this morning. They're trying to repair what they can there, before sending her to Tokyo University Hospital. Her injuries are so severe the doctors have had to bring her back twice already. They do not believe she'll return a third time because each time her heart grows weaker."

"Bring her back from where?" it was Nola this time.

No one answered as they all stared dumfounded at the cops.

The younger cop started to say something, but stopped at the sound of his cell phone coming to life. He spoke for a moment and then hung up. "I'm sorry, that was the hospital. They're medevacing her to Tokyo University Hospital now. She's being put on the helicopter as we speak."

Inuyasha turned and vanished out the door; Sesshomaru a mere step behind him.

The older of the cops stepped through the remaining gathering and turned, "I would advise you all to get to hospital as soon as possible. The person or thing that did this to her, did not mean for her to survive it. So, if you have any goodbyes or other words of adoration to tell her…"

**Until Next Time**… (Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated.)

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Next Chapter: **Bedlam**

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**Acknowledgements**

Moonlight Showers aka InuKag Fan ~ Hollistergirl29 ~ xSimplicity ~ wolf69 ~ Kinky-Hoe ~ LoVe23 ~ PunkLover ~ Rory ~ Litayoliechi ~ fatedreamer ~ Lilyx13 ~ Zysexual ~ Nozome ~ Kagome2 aka me ~ Adamant Barrage ~ Jemzet A Heart Broken Angel ~ Say0mi Saki ~ Caitibug323 ~ Kiaraj ~ Island Heart ~ Sahora ~ xXKimiko SakakiXx ~ TiffanyM ~ Swallowing Dante (Either you're a lech or I have a really dirty mind…lol) ~ Emerald Fury ~ Hanmajoerin ~ Anniewanny2 ~ DevilWorship ~ IrishIndy ~ Mch2012 ~ SilverStarWing ~ Angel Eyed Vampire ~ The Dreaming Soul ~ Black4rose13 ~ Bzee10 ~ Renkhal ~ Lish222


	62. Bedlam

**A/N:** As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness. Thanks for your patience and that's about all I have to say. Oh, I'm also taking applications for a new and dependable beta, so if you're trustworthy and know your spelling and grammar and don't just want early chapters of the story, please review and then email me. In that order please…lol. Here's to you, Neko—RIP.

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**Disclaimer:** All characters with the exception or mines belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Viz.

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**Chapter 62:**

**Bedlam**

Sesshomaru glanced at his brother, who was staring out the window of the town car as it zipped through the afternoon Tokyo traffic heading for the hospital where Kagome was supposed to be.

Inuyasha hadn't said a word since leaving the Higurashi compound. After reaching the air strip where their private jet was waiting, Sesshomaru wanted to wait on the Higurashi family, Rin and the pups, but the look on Inuyasha's face told him that he wasn't going to last that long. So, they took off with no luggage and a call to Rin advising her to fly everyone in on a commercial flight. She wasn't happy about it, but she understood just the same. He'd tried on several occasions during their flight to put himself in Inuyasha's shoes, but each time he tried, just as quickly as he jumped into them, he jumped back out. Had the situation been reversed, there was no way in hell he would've been dealing with this as well as Inuyasha was.

The car slowed to a stop at a red light and Inuyasha spoke for the first real time since their unscheduled trip began, "The first time I saw her, I knew."

"You knew what?"

Inuyasha turned away from the tinted window, his chin resting on his breast bone. "I knew she'd kill me." A tear trailed down his cheek. He didn't wipe it.

"Brother?" Sesshomaru intoned softly.

"I knew and I didn't care. I just…I just had to have her." He went on, "At first, I tried to compare her to Kikyo. I tried to tell myself that she was nothing special, but I knew it was a lie. I…" He looked away from his hands and back out the window at the cars and trees flying by. "I lied to myself and I lied to her. I could've told her that she was my mate. I…I could've told her a hundred times and maybe she wouldn't have gone out the other night. I…" Another tear slipped down his cheek and he hung his head in his hands, his shoulders starting to shake.

Sesshomaru licked his lips and looked away. The last time he remembered seeing his brother cry, he was 10 and Inuyasha was 5. Inuyasha had fallen out of a tree and impaled his leg on a broken limb. But even then, the physical pain he was in held nothing when compared to this moment.

Inuyasha sat back. He ran his hand down his face, and then wiped them on his jeans. "This…this is my fault, isn't it?" he whispered. He shook his head. "I know it is. If I had told her... If…If I hadn't claimed her to begin with—"

"Don't do this," Sesshomaru uttered. "What happened to your mate is not-"

Inuyasha growled low, "I did this to her. If I hadn't…If I hadn't claimed her. If I had waited then maybe…" He coughed out a dry chuckle as he continued, "If I had told her, Sesshomaru. If I had just told her!"

Sesshomaru wanted to reach over and console Inuyasha, but he couldn't move. He'd never seen him this destroyed before. Not after Kikyo or their parents. This pain…this torment that laid over Inuyasha's soul was such a palpable beast that he recoiled from it.

Inuyasha sniffled and seemed to regain a small measure of control over his emotions. "The night that we had that fight-after the restaurant-she told me that she wished she never met me. I know she was just angry, but gods…" He hung his head again and wrung his hands. "If I knew this was going to happen… If I knew that knowing me would cause this, I would've never…I would've never done it. I would…" His shoulders shook again, and he hissed, "Damn it, Kagome. Damn it."

"What that sadistic asshole did, had nothing to do with anything you did, Inuyasha. Higurashi is your mate; you do not dictate what happens between the two of you. Had you known this would have happened, you would have still claimed her, because your blood would not have given you any other alternative."

The hanyou gripped the leather seat as if it would hold him in place and hissed, "I know…I fucking know, and that's what…that's what pisses me off. What kind of mate does this make me? I'm not even mated to her for a fucking week and this happens!"

They rode in silence for a while as the town car turned a few more corners and merged onto the main highway and drove a few more blocks.

"If she dies, Sesshomaru-"

"Don't be stupid, Inuyasha, she's not going to die. Our blood will not allow it." He spoke with vehemence because he knew of no other way to speak with regard to something of this importance.

The hanyou looked at him for a long moment. "If she does, I'm going to follow her," he said softly.

They stared at each other, both knowing the truth of the words just spoken would not be undone.

Sesshomaru turned away first as he acknowledged, knowing that if it were Rin there would be no other choice, "I understand, but I cannot sit here and tell you that I would not do everything within my power to keep you with me just a little longer."

Inuyasha looked at Sesshomaru in confusion, and then a small, but hesitant smile of understanding began to spread over his face. "You're an ass, you know that? The one chance you have to truly get rid of me, you become soft."

Sesshomaru snorted, "And you're still a half-breed who seriously should've been drowned at birth."

As the town car finished the last lap of their trip from the airport and pulled up to the emergency entrance of the hospital, Inuyasha cringed at the sight of the news crews that were posted outside.

"How the fuck?" he hissed.

"I have no idea," Sesshomaru replied as the car pulled to a stop. "As far as I knew no one knew that Higurashi and you were dating. Not only that, but how the hell did they know we were going to be arriving now."

"Fuck it," Inuyasha bit out, wiping at his face with his hands. "Let's go."

They swung their doors open at the same time and were greeted with flashes and questions that neither of them answered. Inuyasha pushed his way through the crowd, his head down as he stepped up behind his brother. Sesshomaru pushed through the crowd and towards the glass doors just as a few security officers stepped around them and pushed the reporters and cameras to the side away from the entrance.

Stepping into the cool building, Sesshomaru walked over to the information desk and questioned quietly, "Higurashi Kagome; has she arrived yet?"

The woman looked up and asked, "You are?"

Inuyasha stepped up then, his patience waning. "Who the fuck do you think we are? Is she here?"

"I'm sorry sir, but we can't give out information unless it's to family."

The hanyou leaned back, inhaled deeply, and closed his eyes as if he were trying to remember where he was. Sesshomaru started to say something, but Inuyasha cut him off and pitched forward, grabbing the woman by the collar of her white nurse's uniform, "I'm her fucking mate, bitch." His eye's bled red slowly and he finished, his tone more animal than man, "If you don't tell me where my mate is, I will tear this fucking place apart and I'll start with your ass, do you understand me?" Somewhere deep down, he knew that was just a little too much, but he also knew that it wasn't him, it was Bitch and he was grateful and pleased beyond measure.

He released the woman and stepped back slowly as if he hadn't just done a damn thing wrong. The woman stared at him, her eyes wide and untrusting. Just then a doctor walked up to the counter and Sesshomaru stepped away from the woman that was still staring wide eyed at Inuyasha. "Excuse me, can you help us? We're looking for Higurashi Kagome. She was flown in from Kyoto about 30 minutes ago."

The doctor smiled. "Sure, you are family, right?"

"Yes, of course," Sesshomaru confirmed.

The doctor said something to the woman and then they had the information they needed and were on their way to the 7th floor and the ICU where Kagome was being kept until family arrived to okay the surgeries she needed. As they stepped out of the elevators, the smell of alcohol and sterilization hit them like a bomb going off in their heads. Had this been any other time, Inuyasha probably would've made some kind of comment that was uncalled for, but his mind was focused on one person. Stepping to the desk, he questioned quickly, "Higurashi Kagome, where is she?"

The nurse looked up. "You are?"

Inuyasha growled low, annoyed that it seemed like all these fuckers were doing is trying to keep him from her.

"I'm sorry sir, but under the circumstances of which she was brought in, we can't just allow anyone to see her. Not only that, but her state is so fragile at the moment even if you were family. We can't allow you in there. We can't risk her catching a staph infection until she's been stabilized."

Inuyasha was about to snarl something, but Sesshomaru stepped in. "We're family," he told the woman.

"What relation?" the woman tossed back as if she enjoyed toying with them.

Inuyasha jumped forward, Sesshomaru catching him at the last moment, but that did nothing to stop what flowed from his mouth, "You stupid bitch! I'll buy this fucking hospital just to fire your stupid ass and then sell it that same fucking day! If you don't stop fucking with me, I swear-"

A voice that Inuyasha recognized stated from behind him, "What's the problem here?"

"These gentlemen want to see a patient that was brought in with security restrictions on who can see her," the nurse said. "I'm simply trying to get some information from them as to who they are."

Inuyasha turned from the woman with a snarl and stepped towards Miroku.

"Takahashi-sama? What…"

"Kagome; she's here and these fuckers-"

Miroku shushed him, turned to the nurse and said something that Inuyasha didn't quite catch. As he turned back, he stepped away from the desk and directed them to wait on him in a private waiting room, which he showed them to before leaving. Within minutes, he was back, his face as white as a sheet of paper.

Inuyasha stood from the seat he'd taken reluctantly, but more assured that they would get somewhere now that they had someone who knew them on their side. Glancing up at Miroku, he questioned, "What? What's wrong? Can I see her?"

Miroku looked at him for a long minute before shaking his head and lifting the clipboard he'd picked up on his way back to the room.

"Miroku, what the hell is going on? Why can't I see her?"

He cleared his throat. "I…I…" He swallowed and stepped back, sitting down in the chair across from Inuyasha and beside Sesshomaru. "I didn't know she was here until I saw you. What happened to her? They have her listed as a Sally Somebody, but a possible Higurashi Kagome."

Inuyasha frowned at him.

Sesshomaru cleared his throat. "Excuse me, but how do you know Higurashi and my brother?"

"My fiancé and Higurashi were…are friends," Miroku said quietly, regret apparent in his mannerisms. He sat back and looked at Inuyasha. "Does this have something to do with what happened with Sango?"

Inuyasha stared at the man, trying to understand why he wouldn't tell him what he needed to know. "Yes," he whispered despondently, and then he told him quickly about Kagome's abduction and reappearance.

"Holy Buddha," Miroku whispered, and then started flipping through the chart, his eyes scanning the pages so quick, he didn't appear to be reading it all.

"What can you tell us?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Well, it's not good," Miroku whispered. "Buddha, help her."

"Damn it, Miroku, just tell me!" Inuyasha shouted heatedly.

Miroku glanced between Inuyasha and Sesshomaru. "Well, since I know you a personal level, I'll forego the medical lingo and give it to you straight. Based on what's here in her chart, she has two skull fractures, several brain contusions, 6 broken ribs, both of her lungs were punctured, her spleen was ruptured, her right arm is broken, and her left wrist is fractured." Miroku looked up from the chart and whispered, "By all accounts, she should be in the morgue."

The room began to shrink with each word that flew swiftly from the human's mouth. Inuyasha was staring at him, trying to listen, trying to absorb what was being told to him in a civilized manner, but the longer he stared at the man, the smaller that little window of sanity became.

"She's going to need reconstructive surgery on her face…"

His throat was closing, his head swimming and the next thing he knew, he was standing.

"When they brought her in, she wasn't breathing on her own and…"

The chair he'd been sitting in, in his hand, and then it was across the room smashing into the wall. He ran at the vending machine, grasped it and flung it at a window. Glass shattered and broken pieces of cement hit the ground as people started screaming outside the door, but he didn't care.

"She's in a coma now, when she was brought into the hospital in Kyoto; however, she was responsive for a brief time."

He paced the room, his mind gone, lost in the man's words and images of Kagome's broken body! How could anyone do something like this! How could anyone… He growled and reached out grabbing another chair and flung it across the room, his hands flexing and his claws lengthening unbeknownst to him. He walked in slow tight predatory circles, his body feeling as if it was a tight coil that at any moment would snap back killing the closest thing to him. Sesshomaru was there pulling at him, calling his name, saying something that sounded like pure jibberish.

"Stop it! This solves nothing," Sesshomaru bellowed.

Inuyasha looked at him as if just seeing him, and he turned swinging out with his claws; anger buried so deep, boiling up almost choking him. He knew it was wrong, the minute the words played in his head he knew it was. _He's just glad it wasn't Rin?_

All coherent thought left him and he turned and charged at Sesshomaru.

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

The minute they stepped into the hallway, Rin could tell that something was amiss. Security guards were surrounding one of the rooms while the nurses and doctors were yelling for someone to get 10 cc's of something. She passed Gage to Nola and broke off in a trot towards the commotion, knowing without having to be told that Inuyasha had finally lost it.

A chair splintered near the door, she heard her mate shout something and she pushed harder to get to the end of the long hallway. After reaching the door, she stopped short and screamed at the sight of a man that she didn't recognize. His white hair was flying as if it had a life of its own, long jagged fangs protruded from his mouth, eyes were the color of rich blood, and jagged purple streaks ran across both his cheeks.

When she screamed, he turned and looked at her as if he didn't know her. He stepped towards her, one name slipping from his mouth, "Ka…gome." Just as quickly as that occurred, realization seemed to descend on him, and he staggered back a few steps.

Sesshomaru grabbed him from behind and pinned him down as he shouted, "Get out of here! Close the damn door! I got him, he's fine!"

The guards obeyed reluctantly and closed the door in her face, but she couldn't move as the others gathered around her, all of them wondering what the hell had just taken place.

Souta was the first to speak, "See Nola, I'm not the only one who throws temper tantrums."

As inappropriate as it was each of them started to laugh one at a time ending with Rin, who couldn't believe that she'd actually seen fear on her mates face for a fraction of a second.

_**

* * *

**_

**Simonkal of Inuy**

* * *

"We're going to need to operate as soon as possible," Doctor Takato said, speaking to the entire room. "The Kyoto emergency room took care of the fractures to her arm, wrist, and shoulder, and they reset her nose, but we're going to need to deal with her internal trauma."

Mrs. H. nodded as if she understood, but didn't ask any questions.

"I'm not going to sit here and give you false hope. The surgeries that Higurashi-sama will have to undergo are all dangerous. There is a chance…a high chance that she may not survive them."

Mrs. H nodded again and continued to stare at the doctor. He was an older gentleman with dark short straight hair that was graying at the temples. His eyes were a warm brown that reminded her of a hot cup of rich coffee, and she could tell from this build that he probably had a new nurse on his arm every night.

Dr. Takato lifted the clipboard he was carrying and continued, "She isn't married, correct?"

The door pushed open and Sesshomaru and a subdued Inuyasha walked in as she responded, "No, she's not married."

"Okay, well, I'm going to need you to sign the release. It states that we've spoken and I've stressed the dangers of the surgeries to you," the doctor explained. "It also states that should she pass away during any of the surgeries, the hospital will not be held liable."

Mrs. H. looked around the room at her son and his girlfriend, who were sitting quietly holding hands. She glanced at Rin, who was holding one of her babies to her chest as she talked softly to her husband, and then she looked up at Inuyasha who was staring at her. She forced a soft smile, and reached up wiping away a tear that was trailing down her cheek as she took the pen that the doctor offered and scribbled her signature at the bottom of the page.

Clutching the clipboard to her chest, she looked up at the doctor and stated almost too softly for human ears to hear, "I…I understand most of what you have said, but…but I need to know…" She dropped her head and finished, "Was she… Was my daughter attacked… Other than physically, I guess," she tried again, trying to find the right words, "Did he?" She looked up then, her eyes rimmed with red and swollen, her lips quivering.

The doctor apparently understood and knelt in front of her. He took her hand in his gently as the tension in the room grew and swelled like lava about to pour from the mouth of a volcano. "Based on the test that they took, it does look like there was some sexual activity in the last 48 hours." A growl rose up behind them, and Dr. Takato turned briefly before he turned his attention back the Mrs. H. "However, there was no ripping, tearing, or _recent_ bruising in that region."

"What…what does that mean?" Nola questioned, leaning away from Souta, who was staring at the doctor.

He stood then and turned to them. "It means she had intercourse with someone in the last 48 hours, but it was consensual. In the state she is in, I honestly don't see how sex with the person that did this to her wouldn't have left rips or tears to her womb. There was nothing gentle about her ordeal, I assure you all." He glanced around the room, his eyes falling on Inuyasha, "If she has a boyfriend or significant other, he would be the only one that knows about the bruising. Which, I will add, is normal when a woman consents to sex with a larger than normal male."

Inuyasha glared at the man, his fists clenching and releasing.

Mrs. H. looked at Inuyasha's red face and felt that she knew what she needed to know. "Thank you so much, Doctor. In this our darkest day, it is good to finally have some good news."

"I just wish that I had more to give to you," he replied while taking the clipboard back from her, "One last thing. Does she have health insurance?"

"Well," Mrs. H started, pushing a tuft of hair behind her ear. "She's a partner at a law firm here in Tokyo, so I'm sure she does, but I don't have that information with me. I…I think it's back in Kyoto."

"I see," the doctor said as if it was a problem.

"I'll pay for everything," Inuyasha stated walking towards them. "Who do I need to speak with?"

"Sir, perhaps you don't understand the magnitude of what kind of bill you're taking-"

"And perhaps you don't understand-"

Rin was on her feet, Takira clasped in her arms. "Money is not a problem, Doctor. Just do what you have to do."

The doctor looked at them and sighed as if he finally understood. "You are the Takahashis?"

Inuyasha turned and walked away in a dismissive manner, taking a seat beside Souta and away from Sesshomaru as Rin started out the door behind the doctor.

A few minutes later a nurse came to the room. "Mrs. Higurashi, we can take you and one other person down to see her now. Only for a few minutes, though."

Mrs. H., stood to her feet glanced around the room at each occupant, her eyes falling on Inuyasha. The hanyou looked away from her, but she said anyway, "Inuyasha, please."

The hanyou paid her no attention.

"Mom, I'll go with you," Souta offered.

She smiled at her son, and turned, leaving the room.

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

Inuyasha watched his mate's mother and brother walk back into the room, both looking worse than they did when they left. He could tell she had been crying and by the way Souta was practically carrying her, the sight of Kagome must have been a little too much for her to handle.

"Who's next?" the nurse queried softly and he could feel all eyes turn to him.

He looked down at the floor ignoring them as Nola and Rin stood slowly to their feet and started out the room.

It wasn't that he didn't want to see Kagome, he did; God knows he did. He just didn't want to see her like that with tubes leading to and from her body, with a machine breathing for her, and with bruises all over her face. He didn't ever want to see her like that. He sat back, his head falling against the cold concrete wall and he sighed, closing his eyes.

A few days ago everything was fine, they were happy, and she was healthy. He'd been worried about whether she was really his mate or not, and now…now he was worried about whether she'd survive a fucking surgery. _How could the gods be so cruel? _If they only wanted to take her from him then why give her to him in the first place? Why tease him with a taste of heaven only to have it taken away before he even digested it? If they wanted to hurt somebody… if they wanted to make somebody suffer, why not make him suffer? Why did it have to be Kagome? First, she has her heart broken by that bastard, and now this? Now she's almost beaten to death for no other reason-he was sure-but that he'd claimed her or because she rejected that bastard. Regardless of which it truly was; it was inexcusable!

He wanted to scream and curse and fight, but the person that he wanted to do those things to wasn't here, but he'd find him and he'd end him, that he promised himself. If it took his last breath, he was going to watch that fucker's blood run cold.

The door opened and he cracked his golden eyes and watched as Rin and Nola walked back in holding one another. Nola was sobbing almost uncontrollably. He closed his eyes and sat forward hanging his head as Souta stood and embraced her while whispering sweet nothings to her.

"Would anyone else like to see her?" the nurse asked quietly.

Everyone was staring at him, he could feel it, but he didn't look up. He didn't want to see her like this! He couldn't see her like this; it…it would hurt too much. And damn it, he was already hurting. Everything hurt: his head, his heart, his chest, his arm, and his soul. It all hurt.

Inuyasha shook his head as if someone had spoken to him and before he knew it a tear was twisting its way down his cheek. He wiped at it quickly, hoping that no one had seen it.

"If there is anything that you need to say to her, now would be the time," the nurse said as if speaking directly to him. "Some research shows that people in comas can hear and it helps with their healing."

He brought his hands up to his face and tried to drown the woman's voice out as another tear slipped down the side of his nose. He could feel them staring at him now, and he felt stupid, and weak, and…and broken.

A soft hand on his head stirred him from his musings. He looked up to see this mate's mother standing over him, tears in her eyes. "Please, Inuyasha, go see her. Talk to her; tell her that you love her, please. If she hears any of us, she'll hear you."

He shook his head and leaned back away from her as he glanced around the room at the other occupants, who were all looking at him. His eyes roamed a moment longer and stopped on Sesshomaru who sat stoically, his eyes focused on a far corner of the room. He tore his gaze away and looked back up at Mrs. H. "I can't. I…I can't see her like that. I…I…"

Rin stood then and said, "You need to see her, Inuyasha. If she doesn't make it through this you don't want it weighing on your heart. I'll go with you if you want me too."

He looked away from her and towards the nurse that was standing at the door smiling empathetically at him. He slowly pushed to his feet, not sure why he was doing it, but feeling compelled to. Rin moved behind him and he stopped and turned to her. "It's alright, Rin. I'll do this by myself."

He shuffled through the door behind the nurse and never looked back as he walked down the long cold hallway without seeing it, without feeling his feet hit the ground below him and without hearing the utterances of people who all knew he was the one that was on a rampage earlier. They rounded one corner, and then another and passed through a set of heavy steel doors and into a bay type area with a circular desk in the middle of the room, but he didn't see it. His eyes were unfocused and blurred because of the tears that were trailing down his cheek. He wiped at them as her scent assaulted him. He almost tripped over his feet as he walked around the nurse that was leading him and straight ahead, allowing his nose to lead him.

Inuyasha stopped short and stared at the macabre thing that lay in front of him. His body swayed, his mind telling him this was his mate, but his eyes telling him no, this couldn't be. This…this…beaten, bruised, and swollen thing that was almost unrecognizable just couldn't be her! He tried to breath, he tried to…he tried to remember to breath, to blink and to think, but he couldn't.

The nurse grabbed his arm gently, and pulled him towards the door. He didn't have the strength to fight her. She pulled him through the glass doors and stepped back closing it behind her.

He closed his eyes, tried to ground himself and tried to tell himself that he could do this. He was stronger than this, he had to be, but he wasn't. He took a step towards the bed, his nose leading him, telling him that this was where he was supposed to be.

"Kagome," he whispered his eyes still closed as he took in the underlying rawness of her scent that was still intertwined with his. "Mate," he whispered harshly and he collapsed to his knees beside the bed, his hands coming up to his face as his shoulders shook and his head bobbed up and down violently.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he cried into his hands. "I…Gods, I'm sorry. If I had known… If I had known that this would happen…" He was bawling relentlessly, not caring who was watching him or what they thought. She was all he had in the world. She was everything that he had ever wanted and now…now for whatever the reason he may lose her. "I…I don't know if you can hear me, but if you can…please…please, Kagome, don't leave me," he whispered. "I don't know how to do this without you. I…I can't go back to living without you. I won't go back to living without you. If I have to follow you, I will. I promise you, I will."

He swayed on his knees, sniffled and started again, "Wench, don't fucking leave me." He wiped at another batch of tears and reached up onto the bed feeling for her hand. "Please," he stated after finding it. Squeezing it gently, he continued, "I'm too selfish to let you go. If you stay with me, I promise you, I'll never let you fall again. I…I'll never leave you."

The door behind him opened and a voice whispered, "Takahashi-sama, you only have a few more minutes before we have to prep her for surgery."

The door closed and he pushed to his feet. He slowly opened his eyes and gazed down at what was left of the face he knew. He shook his head and tried to hold back the cry of outrage that wanted to fine release. He looked away staring up at the ceiling as he blinked and fought against it. "Wench, I should've said this to you before. I…I should've told you, but I wanted to do it the right way. I was stupid," he told her. His attention turned back to her but he looked away again, unable to stomach what was her and yet what was not. "You asked me how I would know when I found my mate, well…" He wiped at his nose with the back of his hand. "I'll know because every time she smiles at me, my heart will break. I'll know because…because every day that she leaves me to go to work or to hang out with her friends, it'll feel like a piece of me is dying. I'll know because she'll complete me like no other person has or will. Without her, Kagome, I am and will always be nothing."

He looked at her bruised face, her swollen eyes and lips, the bandage around her deformed head, and the tubes going in and out of her mouth, and her arms. He leaned down to her, tears dropping in large plops onto her face and running into the roots of her hair. His lips brushed hers and he whispered, "You are the only one that has ever made me feel like that. You are my mate, Kagome. Just you… No one else. A hundred lifetimes from now, it will still be only you." He squeezed her lifeless hand. "You…you can't leave me because we haven't…we haven't gotten married, we haven't had pups, we haven't gone to Europe, Africa, or Greenland, and you haven't tasted my fried rice. You haven't gotten so disgusted with me that you kick me out of the bed or better yet threaten to leave me. There's so much we haven't done, Wench. Please…"

He didn't hear the door open. "Sir, I'm sorry, but we have to get her ready."

Inuyasha brushed his lips across the bandage on her forehead again and whispered desperately, "You can't leave me. Mates don't leave each other." He brushed his hand across her swollen cheek and pleaded, "I don't know how else to ask you, Kagome. Fight for me. Fight to stay with me, okay? Please, do it for me…for our future. I promise on my life you won't regret it."

He stepped back one, twice, three times his eyes trained on her, before he turned and broke into a run towards the nearest exit.

_**

* * *

**_

**Simonkal of Inuy**

* * *

"_The girlfriend of prominent business Tycoon Takahashi Inuyasha was medevaced to Tokyo Medical University 3 hours ago," _the reported said, _"The state of her condition is not known at this time, but we did witness both Takahashi brothers arriving at the hospital shortly after the helicopter arrived."_

Hakkaku leaned closer to the television as snippets of the two dog demons he remembered from the restaurant filled the screen. Even being miles away and watching this on the television he could see the pain that the younger of two was in as he tried to hide his face and force his way through the reporters.

"_A reliable source said that upon finding out the condition of Higurashi Kagome, Takahashi Inuyasha had to be sedated." _The reporter flipped through her reporter's notebook and finished,_ "That same source informed me that the cause of her injuries, which are life threatening, is still unknown, but that the local authorities have opened an investigation that may be linked to a rape attack on a paralegal a little over a month ago at Tokyo towers, who we found out worked very closely with Higurashi-sama."_

Just then the screen flashed to a live update and a podium as if waiting for someone to come and talk. He glanced around the hotel room and at the door that Ayame was behind, trying to take a nap. Turning his attention back to the screen, he raised the volume just slightly as a young woman took the podium. He remembered her from the restaurant immediately and once again couldn't help but to notice that she was absolutely gorgeous.

He quieted his mind as she began to speak eloquently into the mircrophone, _"I will not be taking any questions, but I will be speaking on behalf of the Higurashi's and my brother-in-law, Takahashi Inuyasha." _She lowered her head and cleared her throat as if she had to regain her composure and he couldn't help but to remember how diminutive she looked when standing beside the tall lithe demon that was introduced as her mate.

He pushed that thought off again as she looked up and directly at the camera. _"In order to quell the rising rumors, both families have agreed to this one press conference, in hopes that immediately thereafter you will all leave us to tend to family matters in peace." _She swallowed convulsively. _"Higurashi Kagome is in fact the girlfriend of Takahashi Inuyasha. While on a family vacation in Kyoto, Japan, she was abducted and held for a period of 24 hours."_ Reporters started shouting questions, but she pushed through it. _"The authorities and government officials are handling the case so we are more than confidant that the culprit," _she stressed, and then continued, _"Or culprits will be caught and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. My family will pay a reward of 3.5 yen dollars to anyone that calls with information that leads to the location, and capture of the animal that did this." _

She stared at the screen for a little longer as if she was speaking directly to him, and Hakkaku hit the power button, turning the television off.

He stood from the arm of the chair he was sitting in and turned only to stop short when he saw Ayame standing quietly a few feet away from him. "What the hell? Haven't I told you about sneaking up on me like that?"

She didn't smile as she stared at the dark television screen. "So, she's okay?"

He followed her line of sight and sighed. "I guess so."

She gnawed on her lower lip and finally looked at him. "I'm glad."

"You should be. After all, it's because of you that they have her back."

She walked around the couch and slipped down into it, pulling her knees to her chest. "I was so sure that she was dead, Hakkaku. How could I have been wrong?"

He pulled two bottles of water off the small wet bar and strolled back over to her. "Shit, you might have been right, but they probably brought her back, thankfully. They don't have all the medical equipment for nothing."

She looked up at him, and then around at the hotel suite they'd slipped into during the early morning hours after hopping a flight to Hong Kong. "I'm glad. I'm really glad," she told him again as she took the bottle he offered.

They were quiet for a long moment, both wanting to avoid the topic of Kouga and Kyoto, but knowing that it was inevitable.

"Oi, go get your shoes, let's go shopping," he told her, trying to cheer her up and trying to not deal with the problems that he knew were coming like a mac truck on a lonely dark road. He'd called one of his close friends after they'd gotten to Hong Kong and was told that Maki and Moki had just arrived into town. Of course, he didn't tell the guy where he was or what had transpired, because he didn't want anyone else getting involved in this mess, but he'd found out what he needed to.

He didn't have to be told why they were called or who called them, because he knew they didn't move unless there was someone that needed to be dealt with, and the only person with the power or money to call them was Kouga or Ayame's old man, and he damn sure didn't do it. This also meant, that the two bullets that he'd put into Kouga hadn't done a damn thing but piss the wolf demon off even more.

Ayame shook her head, drawing him from his musing and he frowned as he walked around the couch and sat beside her. "You don't want to shop?" he asked incredulously.

She glanced at him and then away. "He's not dead," she whispered softly.

"Who?"

"If he were dead, I would feel it in here," she intoned softly pointing at her heart. She hung her head sullenly and started to cry softly. "I attacked him and I let you shoot him. I'm a bad mate. Oh…oh gods, I'm a bad mate."

He frowned at her and looked away a little sick of this poor Kouga shit. Every once and awhile since they'd double teamed Kouga, she'd have these little bouts of regret and start crying about being a bad mate and that the gods would never forgive her, and he'd want to scream at her that she was not his chosen, but he'd refrained.

"Ayame?"

"No, I…I don't regret it. We had to save her, but he's my mate, Hakkaku. He's…"

He growled annoyed with himself and with her. "Look! Damn it! Don't…" He stood to his feet and stomped towards the floor to ceiling windows. This wasn't for him to say, but what did he owe Kouga now? Why not tell her? Hell, he'd shot his brother, right in front of him and tried to kill him too and would've had the gun not jammed! What did he owe him? What the hell did he owe him anymore?

_Nothing!_

He turned from the window, leaned back against it and sighed as he looked at her reddened face. "You know what you smell like?" he queried softly.

She looked at him as if he'd just lost his mind. "What?"

He chewed on his lower lip and narrowed his eyes as if he was thinking. "You smell like lemon drops, and strawberries, with just a drop of plum juice," he intoned quietly.

"What? What are you talking about?"

He sighed and shuffled towards her. Dropping, so that he was balanced on the balls of his feet, he lifted her chin so that she was looking directly at him. He leaned in, not meaning for it to seem like anything sensual and sniffed slowly up the side of her neck and back down. She stiffened, but he didn't let her chin go.

"Your scent, Ayame..." he whispered, "It's like the sourest lemon drops, the kind that you bite into and it makes your jaw lock." He moved to the right side of her neck and sniffed the length of is as he intoned, "But then there's the smell of ripe sweet strawberries twisting within it and the mixture is almost dizzying." He leaned back and looked at her.

She blinked at him and swallowed convulsively but didn't say anything.

"Just when I think it can't get any better, you'll walk pass me or your hair will blow in the wind and I'll get this soft whiff of citrus. Like a juicy tangy plum just after I've bitten into it."

"Ha…Hakkaku," she finally managed, and he released her and stood to his feet.

Walking away, he shoved his hands in his pockets and said with his back to her, "Do you want to know what Kouga smells like?"

"What…are you doing? What are you tryi-"

"He smells like burnt woods and moss." He turned then, "I don't know how much you know about mates, but the main thing that changes is the scent, Ayame." She stared at him as if she knew what he was going to say before he said it. "From the day I met you, your scent has always been the same."

Ayame stood up, her tiny fists at her side. "What are you saying?"

Hakkaku stared at her.

She stepped towards him, anger twisting around her violently, but he didn't move from where he was reclining back on the glass window.

"What are you trying to say, Hakkaku?" she shouted, "Are you trying to tell me that I don't know…" She choked on her words as she drew nearer to him. "How dare you," she screamed.

He gazed back into her unnatural emerald green eyes as the first tear slipped over her lid and she wiped at it fitfully.

"He's a monster! He's an ass, but he's my mate, Hakkaku! How could you…how could you stand here and insinuate such at thing?" she screamed angrily.

"Am I, Ayame? Am I really insinuating anything or is it that you don't want to face the truth?"

She reached back, slapping him hard across the face, and he turned away and blinked. Reaching up he checked his jaw in order to make sure it was still there. After noticing that it was, he snorted in disgust and pushed away from the glass and stepped towards her, so that he was right in her face. He didn't raise his voice, though. "Does that make what you believe true, Ayame? Think for one fucking minute," he seethed. "What mated youkai you know-_besides your mate_-that can leave his mate for weeks at a fucking time without at least calling? How many of them avoid their mates like the fucking plague? How many of them try to fucking kill their mates for no good fucking reason? How many of them push their fucking mates off on whoever is available to babysit? How many bitches you know with mates that can fuck any and everything with a hole, Ayame?""

She reached back slapping him again.

After clearing his head, he hissed, "Could you hit _your mate _like that Ayame, and expect to still be standing there? Or would he have tossed your fucking ass out a window by now?"

She ground her teeth again and swung at him again, but he caught her and spun her, pinning her arms to her sides. She struggled against him fitfully but he held on tight to her.

"All I want you to do is think, Ayame! Just think! I know you want him to be your mate, but just because you want it; it doesn't make it so, damn it!"

She was snarling now, anger so real and vibrant that it bit at him and gnawed at the edges of his resolve, but still, he held onto her as her anger turned to pain and then to tears and sobs that ravished her soul. Her legs went limp and he slipped down to the floor with her as understanding and acceptance fell over her like an unwelcomed blanket.

His back to the glass window, he pulled her between his jean clad legs and held onto her as she continued to cry into the sleeve of his shirt while she babbled things he didn't quite understand.

Letting his head fall back as she tightened her hold on him, he whispered as he closed his eyes and sighed, "I'm sorry."

**Until Next Time**… (Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated.)

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_**Acknowledgments:**_

Chinochan-inulover ~ Viresce ~ ximaDJx ~ Freelke ~ Island Heart ~ Jocy5 ~ Amurella ~ BlueIceStone ~ Renkhal ~ Joyouki ~ Jemzet A Heart Broken Angel ~ Inu-Yasha's1gurl16 ~ James'Lover13 ~ Musa Uchina ~ o.0kiLLingLoneLynes0.o ~ Kaggiegurl3742 ~ Biianca23 ~ Hanmajoerin ~ The Dreaming Soul ~ mch2012 ~ Lish222 ~ Sahora ~ BrokenRose24 ~ Child-of-Literature ~ PunkLover ~ Say0mi Saki ~ Black4rose13 ~ Caitibug323 ~ Nozome ~ Lynzi18 ~ Irish Indy ~ LoVe23 ~ xXKimiko SakakiXx ~ HollisterGirl29 ~ JayFX ~ Bzee10 ~ lilyx13 ~ Kagome2 aka me ~ SilverStarWing ~ Moonlit Showers aka InuKag Fan ~ Emerald Fury ~ xSimplicity ~ Moons Little Wolf Blossom44 ~ wolf69 ~ KittyMay ~ Kinky-Hoe ~ SesshiesPersonalPriestess ~ Anniewanny2 ~ Angel Eyed Vampire ~ Pixiepuff101 ~ Litayoliechi ~


	63. These Days

**A/N:** I'm so sorry for the long delay in updating, but real life for has truly been busy for me—professionally and personally. I have nothing but good news. First, what most of you don't know is that in 2009 I wrote an original story, a futuristic romance based in the year 2100. Anyway, on July 2, 2010, it sold to a publisher and is set to be released sometime at the end of this year or early 2011. It will be available online as well as in print. I immediately started working on my second manuscript, which I finished the first draft today. So, now I have a little time to just have some fun. I want to thank you all for your patience and understanding!

If you want to learn more about the book coming out or just follow me in my personal life feel free to checkout my blog at http(:)/novelistwhogetsnolove(.)blogspot(.)com/

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**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of the people who are not in the anime or the manga, all others belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

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**Chapter 63:**

**These Days**

"It's been three days!"

Rin looked away from the bed holding Kagome's still body. "I don't know what to tell you, Souta."

"What kind of boyfriend just leaves when his girlfriend is in this kind of state?" Souta ran his hand through his tussled hair in exasperation. "What if she had died in that surgery? What if she dies now?"

Rin smiled at the young man. "Inuyasha is dealing with this the best way he knows how."

She hoped there was some truth to her words.

They hadn't seen nor spoken to Inuyasha since the night of Kagome's first surgery. She'd had almost all of them since then with only two more to go. The doctors said the rate she was healing for a human was astonishing. What she suspected helped, was that instead of cutting her open to do one thing at a time, the doctors were double teaming her. _The marvels of modern day medicine_, Rin mused lethargically.

Rin sighed and coddled Takira to her chest as the door to the room pushed open and Nola walked in holding three cups of coffee followed by Mrs. H.

Nola, Souta and Mrs. H. were staying with her and Sesshomaru since they had more than enough room and no one had any keys to Kagome's place. When she'd thought of letting them stay at Inuyasha's, she decided against it because with the mood the hanyou was in… Well, she just didn't want to get on his bad side.

In the past three days Kagome's boss and a few attorneys had come by to see her and speak with the family. Sango and Miroku, who Rin hadn't met before stopped by and sat with them until the nurse ran them out. She noticed that Sango hadn't said much, but she did cry a lot especially when she looked at Kagome.

"She looks so much better," Mrs. H. intoned peering down at Kagome. She raked her fingers through her daughter's hair and continued, "The doctor said they're going to check tomorrow to see if she can breathe on her own. If she does, they're going to remove her breathing tube."

"That's really good news," Rin said softly.

"She's always been a strong one. Even when she was smaller and she'd get sick, she'd fight through it." The woman sighed. "When she was just a baby, she caught pneumonia. The doctors gave her only 12 hours to live, but 12 hours turned to 24 hours, and so on and so forth."

Rin smiled at the older woman just glad that she and her family could be of assistance in her time of need. She glanced at the people who had quickly like become family and smiled as she watched Nola bouncing a squealing Gage on her knee as he slobbered and chewed on his fists, his golden eyes intent on her green ones.

"Nola," Rin asked, "Are your parents okay with you being up here all of this time?" She didn't know why it struck her all of sudden, but she just had to know.

Nola looked up and smiled. "Yes, they're fine with it. When I get back, I'll just have to catch up on my school work, but that shouldn't be a problem with me dating Mr. 4.0 here."

Souta blushed and elbowed her playfully.

Rin smiled. "That's hard to believe. I mean, you're mouth is almost as bad as Inuyasha's."

Souta's blush deepened. Scratching his head, he retorted, "That's only when I'm upset."

Nola elbowed him back and laughed. "I told him when we get married he's going to drink soap water with dinner if he keeps it up."

Souta blushed again and dipped his head, but didn't refute what the girl said.

Their conversation went like that the remainder of the day as if they really were just one big happy family.

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_**Simonkal of Inuyasha**_

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"You know this is perfect, right? What better time than now for you to be there for him?"

Kikyo glanced away from the television and at Oni, but didn't answer.

He had to be joking.

She may have been heartless at times, but this was too awful to even consider.

Sure, a part of her was happy for about a minute when the first reports came out, but when she'd heard that the woman, Higurashi Kagome, had been kidnapped and beaten or something along those lines, her heart had gone out to Inuyasha.

She knew how strongly he cared for her when they were dating, so she could only imagine what he was going through if he felt an ounce of what he felt for her for this woman.

"Seriously, think about it, Luscious. Now is when he'd be at his weakest. You could swoop in make everything right with the world for him and by time that he knows which way is up, we'll be gone and so will his money."

Kikyo groaned, annoyed he didn't understand that this little kink in their plan was more than just a kink; it was a colossal fuck up. To move forward…to try anything right now would be stupid.

With this girl in the hospital, Inuyasha would be almost unreachable. Not to mention, just getting him alone long enough to try anything would be damn near impossible.

Oni danced across the room to music only he could hear, flying high one of his little blue happy pills. "I thought about going by the hospital to get a look at her," he said, "Since no one knows me I could pretend to be one of her colleagues or a doctor. Didn't they say she worked at a law firm downtown? They must have a million attorneys there. I could buy a suit and blend right in! Or maybe…maybe I could pretend to be a doctor!" He was talking a mile a minute. "Yeah, yeah, that'll work, a doctor."

She turned to him then. "And then what?"

He turned to her then, his smile fading. "Don't look at me as if I'm stupid or something! I could get in there maybe befriend him, you know, and get him out of there for you."

"And then what?" she stated, trying to get him to see how stupid he was sounding.

He grinned at her, but didn't respond as he started twirling off tempo again.

She rolled her eyes at him and turned towards the television. "What we need to do is go back to the States and forget this whole mess," she grumbled under her breath.

She didn't feel the slap until she was pushing herself up off the floor. She spat and rubbed her cheek as she looked back at him.

He was scowling down at her as he slowly tilted his head to the left and then to the right, cracking the joints in his neck. "What did you say?"

Kikyo scooted back away from him until she hit a wall. She held her hands up in front of her in surrender and pleaded, "Oni, please, I didn't mean it! I…I didn't mean it!" She crawled to the side quickly and scuttled towards the table as if it would keep him away from her.

He stepped towards her quickly, his fist balled up. "What, you think I'm not as smart as that stinking fucking half-breed you let fuck you? You think I'm fucking stupid, Luscious?" He grabbed the table and heaved it away.

She screamed, sprang to her feet and darted towards the bathroom, but he caught her by her ponytail and yanked her back into the room.

"Owww," she shouted.

He grabbed her around her neck and pinned her against the wall. Kikyo clawed at his hand and his forearms as she kicked and struggled against him, "Oni, stop! Please! I didn't mean it!"

He struck her across the right cheek once, twice, three times and threw her on the bed. "Damn right, you didn't!"

Kikyo scrambled back towards the headboard, tears streaming down her face as he stalked toward her while unfastening his jeans. "Take your fucking clothes off," he ordered. "I'll show you better than I can fucking tell you, bitch!"

"Oni, no, not like this," she begged pushing back away from him. He grabbed her leg and yanked her back down towards him. She swung at his face and caught him with a left hook, but was reward with a punch to her belly and a tight hand around her neck as he pinned her down and started yanking at the waist band of her jeans.

"I'll teach you! I'll fucking teach you," he spat.

The more she struggled, the more hyped he became. Her lower lip was swollen, she could feel it as she turned away from him and stopped fighting altogether.

Kikyo let her arms drop to the bed and allowed her legs to dangle off the edge as he dragged her pants down, flipped her over, and entered her roughly. She closed her eyes and laid there like a rag doll allowing him to have his way with her. She knew this wasn't right, it had never been, but what could she do?

She'd run from her salvation a little over a year ago. For what she did to Inuyasha, for what she put him through, this was all she deserved, she believed.

She laid there like a worthless rag doll, tears draining from her eyes as his hot minty breath misted over her face, while he hissed and whispered disgusting fragments of sentences to the back of her head.

_Inuyasha, _she whispered softly and for a fraction of a section she saw him in her mind's eye, and then he was gone and she was left with this…with exactly all that she deserved.

_**

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_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

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The hanyou leapt into the alley from the roof of the hospital, landing nimbly on the balls of his feet. The moon was high in the sky so he knew it was well past visiting hours.

He made his way to the side entrance, where he had forced the door open a few nights ago and used the stairs to get to her floor. Stepping on the floor, he sniffed, taking in the varying scents of the many humans that had been through during the day as well as his family and extended family.

"Takahashi-sama?" the night nurse greeted, not sounding at all surprised to see him.

"How is she?" Inuyasha questioned, stopping at the desk.

"She's doing great. I think it has a lot to do with you spending every night with her."

He glanced towards the darkened room that held his mate. Since the first day she'd been brought to the hospital, he'd made sure that she never spent a night alone. After their family members left for the night, he'd skulk in like a thief looking to steal her heart, and he'd lay with her or sit with her until the next morning. The nurses seemed to think of him as some kind of forlorn heartbroken dreamboat, so they gave him very little trouble about being there, and always made sure that he knew how she was doing.

"The doctor said they're going to be taking her off the ventilator tomorrow to see is she breathes on her own," the nurse went on.

"That's really good news, but do they think she's strong enough for that? It's only been three days."

The nurse, whose name he couldn't remember to save his life, replied, "The power of love is a strong thing, Takahashi-sama. The same thing that brings your family here every day, and you here every night is the same thing that's giving her strength to heal and to want to remain among the living."

No, it my blood that's making her heal quicker than she should, he wanted to say.

Inuyasha sighed and looked towards the darkened room, the only lights visible the white, yellow, and green lights of the monitors surrounding Kagome's bed. He'd been spending his days in Kyoto with the help of a special security team, looking for the whereabouts of Nashitaku Kouga. He'd even looked for the guy Hakkaku, and Kouga's supposed mate, but all of them seemed to have vanished.

He refused to give up.

Kouga and whoever else was involved would be made to pay for what they had done.

He must have started moving towards the room because the next thing he knew the nurse was calling his name and he was turning back to face her.

"Takahashi-sama, your book."

Stepping back toward the desk, he took the book from her and shot her an appreciative smile before starting back towards the room. Inuyasha pushed through the glass doors and stepped towards Kagome's bed. Leaning down, he kissed the side of her mouth, and stated quietly, "You know, even sleeping beauty eventually woke up."

Slipping his hand into her limp one, he squeezed it and was nicely rewarded when she weakly returned the gesture.

"You know, if you wake up, you could thank me properly for staying with you every night," he told her with a sad smile. "Or maybe not, but you could start planning our wedding." Inuyasha chuckled and added, "There I go putting the cart before the horse again. I guess I need to actually ask you to marry me, don't I?" He released her hand and settled down in the chair close to the bed. "I mean, you being my mate and all, we don't really need to get married." He scanned the length of her covered and broken body, gnawed on his lower lip and finished as he leaned forward, reached for her hand and held it tight, "Look, Wench, I need you to wake-up so you can do one very important thing for me. I need you to accept me as your mate. If you don't do that, then this bond that I've started will be nothing more than a half formed knot."

He sat in silence as he stared at her, waiting, hoping, and praying that she'd open her eyes and smile at him again. Wishing against wishes that her head would roll toward him and her beautiful eyes would be staring at him full of promises that she had every intention of keeping. After a moment more of silence with no change in demeanor from her, Inuyasha sighed and brought her hand up to his lips and kissed each of her knuckles.

"I'm not a patient man, Kagome," he said as he sat back in the chair, crossed his legs and opened the book, one of her favorite books, _The Lucky One. _Flipping to the last page he had read the night before, he finished, "But for you, I'll wait forever if I have too." His claw ran the length of the page, looking for the last paragraph he read. "I tell you what, Wench, you better not make me wait that long because I won't be nice about it."

Her fingers twitched and he glanced at it, smiled and sighed. "Good, so long as we understand one another."

He wasn't sure how long he'd read to her for, but as the sensation of a youkai whispered against his own, he closed the book, turned his head to look out the glass door and was not surprised when his brother materialized out of the darkness at the far end of the hall way.

Inuyasha stood up, just as Sesshomaru pushed through the door and stepped in. "Half-breed," he greeted.

"Jack ass," Inuyasha responded coolly, his voice low.

"You've been coming here every night?"

"Why do you ask questions you already know the answer to," the hanyou retorted.

"Her family believes that you have left her for—"

"Do you really think I care what her family thinks?"

"You should care, because they are your family as well."

Inuyasha turned from him and glanced down at Kagome. "I don't have time to worry about what they think or don't think. My only concern is my mate."

Sesshomaru stepped around to the other side of the bed and peered down at Kagome. "I'm aware of that, but don't fool yourself, Inuyasha. You cannot alienate yourself from them and expect them to just accept you when she's well."

Not wanting to hear anymore, Inuyasha changed the subject. "How is Rin and the pups?"

"Fine, but Rin misses you, and is running out of excuses for your absences." They were quiet for a long moment before Sesshomaru continued, "I know what you've been doing, Inuyasha. So, tell me, what have you found out?"

"Nothing. I don't understand it, Sesshomaru, why is finding these bastards so fucking hard? It's like looking for one particular needle in a fucking box of needles."

"Do you remember when your mom would lose her car keys or misplace her favorite hair latch? She'd forget about it for a while and then just stumble on it when she wasn't looking for it."

"I haven't really lost…" he started to say, but changed his mind as he understood the deeper meaning of his brother's words. "I need to let him come to me?"

Sesshomaru turned towards the door. "Let him come, Inuyasha, and together we'll make sure he doesn't leave."

"What if he doesn't come?"

"Think about it, Inuyasha. He killed her friend to keep her from talking because he had no intention of Kagome surviving. Now that she has, he won't have any other choice but to come after her. If he doesn't, he'll be running the rest of his life."

Inuyasha stared at his brother for a long moment before speaking. "I'll call the security detail in and have them spread out in and around the hospital."

"And I will speak with the doctor's tomorrow and have them limit the visitors that can see her."

"Thanks." The hanyou didn't turn to watch his brother leave, but instead sat back down, opened the book he'd been previously reading and started up again.

_**

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_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

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Hakkaku closed the cell phone and slipped it into his pocket. This wasn't good, not by a long shot. It was the fourth time he'd called Rami to check on the happenings back home and it was the fourth time that he'd been sent to his voicemail. He tried to tell himself that Rami was just doing his usual disappearing act, but he didn't totally believe that.

For the past two days he'd felt the thin fingers of trepidation creeping up and over him, engulfing his body in a way that didn't allow him to sleep or eat. It kept him on edge, checking corners and closets, windows and doors. He found it intolerable to let Ayame out of his sight and had even demanded that they change rooms several times within the hotel. When she went to the bathroom, he found himself sitting outside the door, both his guns loaded and clasped in his hands waiting for the first sign of Maki or Moki.

Hakkaku glanced at the darkened window. His eyes scanned the skyline slowly, trying to pick-up and everything that might seem out of place. He sent out mental fingers probing the darkness for anything that shouldn't be there. He found nothing, still he felt uneasy. He drew the curtains closed and turned away from the window altogether when a thought occurred to him.

He knew Kouga was a shrewd bastard that was capable of anything if it brought him to the end he sought, but this would be taking things to a whole new lever wouldn't it? He pulled his cell from his pocket and dialed the number for he could stop himself.

The woman's voice picked up on the third ring. "Mushi-mushi."

"Mom?"

"Hey baby, how are you?" His mother asked before she continued, "Why didn't you tell me you were going out of town?"

His eyes narrowed. How did she know he was out of town? He hadn't told her he was going and he hadn't spoken to her since the morning he and Ayame had called him and asked him to meet her. "Why do you think I'm out of town?"

"Kouga stopped by to see me."

"He did? What did he want?"

"Well, he apologized for not visiting after Ginta's funeral. He promised me he would catch the monsters that shot my baby."

"Did he?"

"Yes. He's such a good boy and such a good friend to you."

Hakkaku couldn't suppress the growl that rose up in the back of his throat. What kind of fucking game was this prick playing? "That all he said?"

"No, he told me that you wanted him to come by to tell me bye since where you were going you wouldn't have cell signal."

"I see. When was this?" Hakkaku asked not wanting to hear anymore of Kouga's lies.

"He and his two friends came by day before yesterday. You know honey, Kouga is such a nice guy, I don't understand why he would hang out with those two Neanderthals. I offered them tea and I think one of them grunted at me."

"Who?"

"Matchstick and Mop, or something like that," she replied.

"Maki and Moki?"

"Yeah. Strange names don't you think?"

"Yeah," Hakkaku agreed as he turned in time to see Ayame stroll out of the bedroom, her hair mussed, the long t-shirt she wore barely covering her hips. "Mom, you remember that trip Ginta and I promised you? I want you to take it. Leave tomorrow morning."

"To Australia?"

"Yeah. Call and make the arrangements. I'll wire the money into your account."

"Honey, I can't. I'm volunteering at the hospital tomorrow."

"Mom, please," he pleaded unable to keep the dread from his voice. "Please do this for me and in memory of Ginta."

She was quiet as if trying to read his mind. "What's going on, baby? Are you in trouble? Is everything okay?"

Ayame slipped up to him, her arms encircling his waist. Hakkaku absently slipped his free arm around her and brought her deeper into the protectiveness of his body. In the days that he'd made her understand that she and Kouga were not mates, she'd been like this with him. It was like she just needed to touch him. If he was sitting on the couch, she'd sit right next to him so that they were touching arms and knees. She'd even on one occasion crawled into his lap. On the few times that they'd ventured outside for toiletries and clothing, she'd held his hand the entire time. He would have liked to say that it didn't bother him, but it did. Not because he didn't want her to touch him, but because he felt she was touching him because she was either envisioning him as Kouga or worse needing someone, anyone to make her feel needed…wanted…cherished. He didn't want to be just anyone to her.

"Mom, I'm fine. If you do this for me, I promise you I'll meet you there in a few days and we'll have that vacation that Ginta and I have been promising you."

His mom sighed softly and he heard her shift as if standing. "Alright, baby. I think you're not telling me something, but I'll go. But I'll expect full disclosure that minute you set down in Brisbane, okay?"

Hakkaku sighed in relief. "Whatever you want, mom. Just do this for me and don't let anyone else in the house okay?"

His mother laughed. "Do you think I'm some kind of sap? Don't forget who bought and showed you how to use your first gun, baby. I'm no pushover."

He wanted to say, no, you're just a really bad judge of character, but refrained. "Alright mom, call me when you get to airport, okay?"

"Alright and you call me if you need me, okay?"

"I will. Love you and be careful, mom."

"Same to you, silly-billy," his mom replied, her tone so soft and filled with such love and life that as he clicked off the call it took everything in him not to crush Ayame to him. If he could do it all over, he would never have befriended Kouga when they were younger. He would have forced Ginta to go to college and he would've spent more time with his mother. He'd made so many mistakes. So many fucking mistakes in the years he'd been walking this earth. If he could go back, just once, he would change everything.

"Hakkaku?" Ayame's voice tore through the torment in his mind. "You're leaving me?"

He closed his eyes and shook his head. No, he wasn't leaving her. He probably never would be able to leave her. For whatever the reason, she needed him and had always needed him in one form or the other. Until she no longer needed him, he'd never leave her, of that he was certain.

"No, I'm not," he replied softly, "Not until this mess is resolved anyway. Then you can go back to your father and your life and forget this whole nightmare even happened." His hand dropped away from her as he started towards the couch.

"What if I don't want you to go when all of this is over? What if I still need you with me," she asked trailing a few feet behind him.

He turned, pinned her with a dark look and asked, "Why Ayame?" Her gaze dropped from his and Hakkaku stepped towards her, his hand gently reached out to lift her face so that he could see her vibrant green eyes. "I don't understand what's happening, Ayame. You cling to me. You use me as a substitute and I can't say that I don't mind it, but it's not right. It's not healthy for you and it's not fair to me. I didn't tell you about Kouga for this, Ayame. I told you so that you could move forward instead of backwards and not so you would cling to me."

She shook her head with vehemence. "Never. Not ever have I viewed you as substitute, Hakkaku. I just…You make me feel real. You've always made me feel real." She stepped closer to him, slipped her arms around his waist and laid her head over his heart. "I touch you because I don't know how not to. Think about it because I have. When I was with Kouga, if you and he were around, I always stood closer to you. When you would take me shopping, I always made sure at some point and time you had to touch me, hold me. When Kouga would pull his disappearing act, I was never lonely as long as you were around. Most times I didn't even care that he was gone because you were there when I went to sleep and when I woke. It was when you left that I felt lost and alone. When Kouga and I went on trips, do you think it was him that wanted you to come? It was me, Hakkaku. I didn't know why I needed you around all the time, but I did."

"Ayame…" was all that he could manage. He remembered on more than a few occasions the forlorn look on her face when he had to leave or if something came up and he couldn't take her to dinner or to one of her benefits. He just thought she was pouting, because that's what women did. He also remembered joy in her eyes when he'd step through the door on Kouga's behalf, or when he'd given her a pair of diamond stud earrings for Christmas. That was the year Kouga hadn't gotten her anything. He even remembered when she and Kouga had gone to pick out her Lexus, she'd driven straight off the lot and to his house so that she could share her joy with him. She'd said that because she got a smaller female version of his 450, their cars were mates. It was all silly to him at the time, but now that he thought about it…

"No, Hakkaku." She shook her head. "I don't understand this either, but I need you with me. I won't get through this without you. I know it sounds selfish, and I promise you I'll make it up to you eventually, but for now I need you with me. Not as a substitute for anyone, especially not Kouga, but as Hakkaku…just Hakkaku, my white knight, my best-friend, my savior."

"What if when this is all over, I don't want to be your best-friend, Ayame? What then?"

She pulled away from him, slipped her hand to his and tugged him towards the couch. "I'm naïve and I accept that, but Hakkaku you aren't." After he settled down on the couch she crawled into his lap, her head full of fiery red hair nestled against his neck. "When this is all over and you think I've had enough time to recover and deal with my emotions, you'll do the right thing and whatever that is, I'll be more than okay with it."

He tipped her head up so that she was looking at him. "Do you trust me so much, Ayame?" He searched her eyes looking for a hint of doubt and sign that she was reaching for something that wasn't there. He found certainty and an unfailing trust and pride in him that made him feel as if he could accomplish anything. How many times had he looked at her and never seen her like this? How many times had he looked at her and seen exactly this and ignored it. The things that she'd been through with Kouga were not her fault. She'd wanted love…wanted a mate and had wanted to believe that it was Kouga. It wasn't her fault that she wore her heart on her sleeve. It wasn't her fault that she'd been used or that he'd helped Kouga betray her. "I'm sorry," Hakkaku said, before he couldn't stop himself. "I'm sorry; I allowed this to go on as long as it did. Had I known… Had I thought for a second, Ayame…"

She leaned forward, her lips gliding over his in a soft nervous kiss. "I forgive you, Hakkaku. You're as much a victim in all of this as I am." She smiled up at him with glittering eyes. "Besides, you can make it up to me when we join your mom in Australia."

Hakkaku was speechless. He did the only thing he could at that moment. He pulled her closer and held her tight. This, none of it was making much sense, but it felt so right that he found second guessing it foolish and downright idiotic.

They set together surrounded by darkness for a little longer before Ayame broke the silence and almost stopped his heart at the same time. "I want to go to Tokyo, Hakkaku."

He leaned back from her. "What? Why?"

"I want to see for myself that Kagome is okay and I want to apologize to her for everything that has happened."

"Ayame?"

"I know it won't do much good, but I'll feel better about moving on if I do this. I can't explain why, but I just need to see her. I need to talk to her and tell her that I didn't know and that person that she met a year ago wasn't the real me. I think if we had met under different circumstances maybe we could've been friends."

"Ayame, we can't. Her family, her mate would try to kill us. Not only that, but Kouga is still looking for us. What if he catches wind and follows us?"

"Then let him come, Hakkaku. This time, you'll just have to shoot him in the head." She said it with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "You'll keep me safe, won't you?"

He sighed and pulled her back down to him. "Of course, I will." _I just don't know how safe I'll be, _he finished to himself, knowing that what Ayame wanted she got, at least from him. If she wanted to go to Tokyo to set her mind at ease, then they were going to Tokyo. "We'll leave in the morning." He was rewarded with a light brush of her lips on the underside of his chin and the beginnings of a wicked seductive flame in the pit of his belly.

_**

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_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

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It dawned bringing with it a feeling of trepidation. Inuyasha set up, stretched his arms over his head and yawned. He stood to his feet and covered to short distance to his mate. Her complexion looked healthier, but the bruises were still a prominent part of her body.

He traced the hand marks around her neck with the tip of his claw as he tried to stifle a growl that refused to the subdued. He would get the prick of that he was certain and he would watch the life drain from his eyes slowly and enjoy ever horrific and satisfying moment of it.

He knew without looking at his watch that time was drawing close when he'd normally disappear but he had no plans of doing that today. If they were going to take her off the ventilator then he'd be there in case she opened her eyes. The last thing he wanted was for her to wake up and wonder why he wasn't there with her.

The door glass door to the room slid open and an American doctor, one he hadn't seen before walked in with a clipboard.

"How's our patient, doing?" he asked, his tone too damn cheerful for this early in the morning.

Inuyasha sniffed in the doctor's direction, his nose furrowing. The man smelled like he'd bathed in a bottle of cologne and just climbed off a piece of ass, but there was something underlying it that brought him up short. His head titled to one side and the other as the doctor made his way around the room touching this machine and that machine. Inuyasha watched the man look over the clipboard he was holding and then seem to compare what he had with what was written on the notes attached to the machines.

"Who the fuck are you?" Inuyasha bit out, his senses were fucking with him. He'd smelled one of the scents on the man before, but it was so twisted that he couldn't place readily.

"Dr. Marks," the man advised brandishing his tag as if it were a badge. "Ms. Higurashi is kind of famous here. I thought I'd look in on her." He reached out to touch her brow, and Inuyasha leapt forward, over the bed and placed himself between the doctor and Kagome.

"Don't fucking touch her," he seethed, his hold tightening on the man's wrist. "Who the fuck are you?"

Dr. Marks looked from the hanyou's face to his wrist and forced a smile as he pulled back in an attempt to get loose. "I see the stories are true. You are very protective over her."

Inuyasha shoved the man away from Kagome's bedside as bitch raised his head, which only caused Inuyasha to believe even more that this man was not who he said he was. His fists clenched at his side as he stepped towards the man threateningly. "I won't ask you again."

"I all ready told you, Mr. Takahashi. I'm Dr. Marks. I'm not Ms. Higurashi's doctor, but from time to time we doctors like to look in on our colleague's cases. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to upset you."

It sounded believable to his ears, but Bitch was damn near snarling now, standing on all fours, his eyes blood red and begging for vengeance. Inuyasha smiled at the doctor. Perhaps it was less of a smile and more of a show of pointy fangs. He inhaled deeply allowing the doctor's scent to roll through his mind as he compared it to a trillion other scents he's smelled in his lifetime.

"You can check my credentials with the desk nurse if you don't believe me," Dr. Marks tried as he took a tentative step back, his arms now up in mock surrender.

Everything in Inuyasha told him that his man was an imposter, but he wasn't a demon. He was human, he could smell that on him in him, but he was still not who he pretended to be. "Get out," the hanyou growled.

"Mr. Takahashi, please," Dr. Marks said. "I simply came to check on her. Perhaps you're taking this little show of protectiveness a little further than necessary."

"Get out or I'll throw you out the nearest fucking window," the hanyou threatened.

"Or perhaps I'll call security and have you tossed out. You won't see her again until she's released if ever," the doctor shot back, and for a fraction of a second, Inuyasha saw the man's face change. His eyes became cold and flat, his smile faltered and fell into a gloating smirk as if he knew something Inuyasha didn't.

Bitch leapt forward and Inuyasha found his hand closing around the doctor's neck, his claws digging into the man's flesh as his hand slowly tightened shutting off the air to the human's lungs. He didn't know why, but this felt right. This man…this human, whoever he was evil and meant to harm Kagome for whatever the reason. "I'll rip your throat out before you so much as take your next fucking blink."

The man clawed at Inuyasha's hand fitfully, as the door beside them opened again and Rin walked in with Souta, Nola, and Kagome's mom.

"What the hell?" they said in unison, but Inuyasha didn't really hear them.

"Inuyasha?"

He moved Rin to the side and stepped towards the door, the man still clasped in his hand. Releasing him, Inuyasha pushed him out the door. "If you even think about coming near her again, I'll kill you before you can complete the thought."

Rin slipped a restraining hand around Inuyasha's bicep. "What did you do?"

He shook her off and stepped towards the doctor that was peeling himself up off the floor, his eyes set in a mask of hatred as he glared back at Inuyasha. He mouthed something that Inuyasha didn't catch, but he didn't have to know that it was a threat.

As the man disappeared down the hall, Inuyasha turned back to the occupants of the room. "What's up?"

"What was that about," Souta asked as he stepped away from Kagome's bedside and made room for his mom.

"Don't know, but the prick just didn't feel right. He said he was a doctor, but he didn't smell like one. He smelled like sex and cologne and drugs." Inuyasha shook his head, still unable to place the underlying scent that he knew he knew. "It might be safer for you all to stay home for a few days. Sesshomaru and I are having the security here doubled in case anything happens."

"What's going on?" Mrs. H. asked. "Is she still in danger?"

Inuyasha shot her a patronizing look. "Until we catch the person who did this we can't take any chances. The minute she wakes up, she's going to tell us what happened, which means his cover will be blown. If I were him, I'd try to get to her before that happens."

"So this isn't over?" Nola asked.

Inuyasha didn't answer. Instead he walked over to Kagome's prone form and brushed a kiss to her brow as he slipped her hand into his just needing the feel of her.

"Alright, Rin take Nola and my mom to your house and stay there. I'll stay here with Inuyasha in case anything happens," Souta said from behind Inuyasha.

"Excuse me?" Rin hissed.

Souta back tracked, "Well, I mean, I think it would be best. We don't need you and the other's getting in the way…"

"Souta, I did not raise you to be a chauvinistic pig!"

Just then Kagome's real doctor pushed through the door with a nurse close behind. Gratuities were exchanged, and the doctor advised them of what they were hoping to accomplish.

As the man spoke, Inuyasha's mind kept going back to the Dr. Marks and that one scent he couldn't place. Inuyasha shook his head and asked, "Is there a Dr. Marks that works in this hospital?"

The doctor looked up at him. "Well, yes, why?"

"He came in this morning to check on Kagome, but I might have gotten it wrong and thrown him out," Inuyasha said feeling just a little ashamed.

A thoughtful frown played over the doctor's face before he spoke. "He came in this morning?"

"Yeah, about 15 minutes ago."

"Well, I might be wrong, but I thought Dr. Marks was on special assignment in Dubai. He's not supposed to return until next month." The doctor shrugged. "It's possible that his assignment ended sooner than we thought."

"Is he American?"

The doctor laughed. "No, of course not. It's a running joke at the hospital. Dr. Marks has the most American name of all of us, but he's the farthest thing from American. I think he's part German by way of Africa or something like that. He has the thickest accent that even though he speaks Japanese fluently the patients still have a problem understanding him."

Inuyasha pushed away from the wall he'd been leaning on. "The person that was passing himself off as Dr. Marks was American. I even spoke English to him. I need this floor locked down. No one gets on without my or my brothers' say so." He turned to the women. "Souta is right; you all need to head home and stay there. I don't know what's going on, but none of this feels right to me."

"I'm staying with you," Souta told him firmly.

Inuyasha nodded as he stepped towards the door and stared in the direction that he'd seen the man go in. As if it was the clouds parting to reveal the sun after too many days of darkness one name played through his mind, _Kikyo._

**Until Next Time**…(Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated.)

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**Next Chapter**: Velocity

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**Acknowledgements:**

_Diamond369 ~ Tahitianbabe ~ UshioOkazaki ~ Ka Ai Sky ~ ProtectTheRain ~ Kawaii Kaijun ~ Nicki-minag's wife ~ Kamira ~ Nekotaishou ~ Vampire-fetish15 ~ InuKaglover97 ~ Farietal. ~ Freelke ~ Jemzet A Heart Broken Angel ~ Cupcakes ~ Mch2010 ~ The Dreaming Soul ~ xXKimiko SakakiXx ~ Anniewanny2 ~ Kinky-Hoe ~ Kiaraj ~ Nozome ~ Flygirlrosie ~ Jebbyaddict ~ Love23 ~ Joyouki ~ Bzee10 ~ Island Heart ~ Bacongrldaend ~ ximaDJx ~ Irish Indy ~ xSimplicity ~ Sonyita ~ Kagome2 a.k.a me ~ SilverStarWing ~ Mangx3 ~ Say0mi Saki ~ Moons Little Wolf Blossom44 ~ KittyMay ~ PunkLover ~ Hanmajoerin ~ Lish222 ~ Lilyx13 ~ Lyxie ~ Chinochang-inulover ~ SesshiesPersonalPriestess ~ Lynzi18 ~ HollisterGirl29 ~ Kittykritik_


	64. Velocity

**A/N:** As always all characters will be walking that fine line called OOCness. Thanks for your patience and understanding guys and gals. I've been plugging away, writing more books and trying to make some money doing it. But my first book should be out at the end of the Spring of 2011 and hopefully, my second book by the end of the year, 2011. So, yes, I've been working. Any who, thanks for your patience once again, and I hope you all enjoy this.

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**Disclaimer:** You all know who belongs to me and who belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, don't you? If you don't, you shouldn't be reading this.

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**Chapter 64:**

**Velocity**

One day ran into two and still outside of the slight twitching of her fingers, Kagome hadn't woke-up. She'd had all of her surgeries to date and most of her bruises had healed; thanks to Inuyasha's DNA racing through her veins.

Also the large majority of the cuts that had covered her face were gone, leaving her skin flawless. The breathing tube had been removed on schedule and like the champ she was, she took over her own breathing as if there had never been a time when she needed help.

She would be near perfect when she woke, with the exception of the scar on her shoulder. For reasons Inuyasha couldn't fathom, it was the only wound that refused to heal. Emotionally, she would be a wreck, but he would be by her side every minute helping her, crying with her, and healing with her.

The only thing he needed was for her to wake up.

Inuyasha stood from his seat and shuffled over to her bedside. "Alright, sleeping beauty, how much longer are you going to keep me waiting? You know a man only has so much patience." He chuckled to himself. If he had to, he would wait several lifetimes for her.

He tucked the blanket in tighter around her, brushed his hand down her warm cheek and sighed as he leaned down and kissed her brow. Slipping his hand into hers, he rested his forehead against hers. "Come back to me, mate. You have to come back to me, okay?" His heart nearly stopped in his chest when he felt her hand close around his. It was still weak, but she'd responded to his voice.

Tear sprouted before he could stop them. "That's it, baby, come back to me. You can do it. I'm right here. I'll always be right here." Her fingers twitched and Inuyasha tightened his grip as if he could pull her from whatever dark realm she swam in. Using his free hand, he wiped at his face, glad no one was there to witness his moment of weakness.

He stared down at her face, begging, praying, and willing her eyes to open. He didn't care if she condemned him for not getting to her in time. He just wanted her to look at him again.

The minutes multiplied, but she made no move to awaken or to mummer how much she hated him. His heart sank momentarily before he stubbornly forced the feeling away. This was good regardless of the fact that she didn't wake-up. This was good because this one action which would seem nonsensical to most was more than she'd done in the week and half that she'd been at the hospital. This was a plus. It was slow in going, but she was working her way back to him.

The door behind him opened. "Takahashi-sama, there's a problem."

Inuyasha turned to look at Tamu, a big burly bear youkai he'd employed to watch the entrance door closest to Kagome's room. He'd used his services once before as the head security guard at he and Kikyo's wedding. No one and nothing got pass the man. Inuyasha wasn't sure if it was Tamu's girth and height that scared people off, or if it was the scowl he wore prominently even when he was supposed to be in a good mood.

"What is it?"

"Andrés is holding a young lady at the door. She said she's an old acquaintance of your mate's."

Inuyasha scowled at the youkai for moment longer. He hadn't told him, Kagome was his mate, but then again had Tamu not been as observant as he was, Inuyasha wouldn't have employed him. "Where's Sesshomaru?"

"On the ground floor with Lowell and Ridge."

"If she made it pass them then she should be good."

"That's the thing she didn't go through them, somehow she went around them. Normally, they call me to let me know who's coming up. I called down and described her to them, but neither of them remembers her." Tamu stepped back as Inuyasha started forward. "There's something else. She's a wolf youkai."

Inuyasha stilled and turned to look at Tamu, searching his face for some semblance of laughter. This was no time to be joking.

After the instance with the fake doctor, Inuyasha had them move Kagome to a private section of the 9th floor with one way in and two ways out. They had undercover security guards posted over every inch of the hospital, waiting for that fucker to make his move. There was no possible way, in his opinion; anyone could've gotten past the guards and Sesshomaru.

"You sure?"

Tamu shot him an oscitant look, but didn't deign to answer that question. Instead, he went on, "I don't think she means your mate any harm, but she's lying about something. I can't smell it on her."

"Stay here. No one get's in."

"It goes without saying, Takahashi-sama."

"Oh, and Tamu, keep the whole mate thing under wraps. Her family doesn't know about it yet."

Inuyasha didn't wait for the youkai's answer before he started towards the steel doors and the mystery woman trying to gain entrance to see Kagome.

One would've thought that after the incident with the fake doctor, he would've been more on edge. Especially, after he figured out what the scent was that he at first couldn't discern. _Kikyo. _But he wasn't, he'd actually never been more relaxed in his life. Maybe that wasn't the absolute truth. The calm he felt was more like the calm before a horrendous storm…a typhoon…a deadly hurricane.

Inuyasha pushed through the doors and his stomach twisted violently as the scents of moss and woods assaulted him. It was more than that. He'd smelled it before. He'd smelled it… He'd smelled it on…

Bitch reared his head, claws coming out and Inuyasha charged forward a growl born of pure rage slipping from his lips. The woman didn't have time to think, before he was on her, his hand gripping her neck, his fanged mouth inches from hers as he snarled at her, his eyes ablaze. "You're dead."

She flailed, growled something that Bitch wouldn't allow him to understand and Inuyasha pushed forward, slamming her back against the cinderblock wall behind her. Her head bounced once, twice, and a third time.

The security guards pulled their weapons, the steel cylinder barrel trained on the woman's fiery red head as one shouted into his walkie-talkie, "We got trouble!"

_**

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**_

Simonkal of Inuy

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Hakkaku cursed the hanyou to the tenth bowels of the hottest part of hell, and then cursed Ayame to the first and much cooler portion. He'd told her not to go and to wait until he was able to survey their surroundings. But no, she had to go and do things her way.

She could be so damn naïve that at times like these it irked his very last nerve. What the hell had she been thinking? He'd told her they weren't going to fall for the old friend line. Hell, what the hell had he been thinking even going along with this, "_I want to go to Tokyo shit_?"

He peered through the half of an inch crack in the door of the supply room he was hiding in and cursed under his breath as the dog demon, man-handled Ayame. Something deep and threatening burrowed up from the pit of his stomach like a violent storm developing over the pacific.

Hakkaku clenched the handle of the Glock in his left hand and reached for its twin that was stored in the small of his back. He'd have to shoot their way out of here, he was certain of that. He visually measured the distance between him and the altercation and decided he could have the barrel of his gun at the base of the hanyou's neck in 1.2 seconds flat if he took the two guards out on the way.

He closed his eyes, inhaled deeply and pushed the door open slowly. Bullets chambered, guns up, he moved with the preternatural speed all demons were gifted with as he fired once from the gun in his right hand and once from the gun in his left. By the time he was in reach of the hanyou, both guards were on the ground; one clutching at his right ankle, the other his left butt cheek.

The barrel of his gun pressed against the hanyou's skull, Hakkaku aimed the other gun down the hall at the doorway to the stairs as he glanced down at the two writhing demons. He'd never liked killing, but he could and did do it when necessary. Fortunately for them, he didn't think it was going to be necessary.

"Let her go," he growled low. He didn't want to kill or be killed today. He just wanted… No, needed to get Ayame to safety.

"Fuck…you." It was such a finite statement spoken with more animal characteristics than man that Hakkaku flinched.

His pointer finger tightened over the trigger, squeezing it back a fraction of an inch. "Look, I don't want to kill you, but if you hurt her, I'll blow your fucking brains all over that fucking wall." Negotiating had never been his strong suit; that was Ginta's job.

"Please," Ayame whispered, tears trailing down her flushed cheeks. "Please, don't do this."

Hakkaku smelled the blood before he saw it. The hanyou's claws were digging into Ayame's jugular. "I swear to the gods. If you move a fraction of an inch, I'll drop you where you stand."

A sadistic chuckle came from the hanyou and Hakkaku found himself wondering what the hell he'd missed. The laughing dog hadn't so much as attempted to turn to face him, or even flinched at the knowledge that a gun was pointed at the back of his head. He didn't seem to care that two of his guards were taken down or that they were bleeding like stuck pigs. Hell, he seemed to be oblivious to fear and everything else not involving Ayame.

"Drop her and we can call this even," Hakkaku tried again. Time was running out. Surely, back up was in route. He'd disabled the elevators, but he knew that would do little to slow down determined demons.

"Even?" The hanyou moved with such speed that Hakkaku didn't realize what had happened until he found himself flying backwards through the air, and then crashing into a row of cushioned chairs lining the right side of the wall. He staggered back to his feet, his guns still gripped in his hands, both now pointing at the face of the hanyou. His hair was flying, amber gold eyes fading into a sea of red.

Hakkaku shook his head, glanced at Ayame who was staring back at him regretfully and charged towards the dog demon. The hanyou charged at him at the same time, but stopped, threw Ayame towards him and started running again. Hakkaku stopped long enough to snatch Ayame out of midair, and cursed his stupidity when he caught a glimpse of the soles of the hanyou's shoes just before they connected with the side of his head.

"Fuck."

Hakkaku took the blow and then another as he tried his best to wrap his body around Ayame's to protect her from the brunt of the hanyou's attack. Landing hard, he pushed Ayame away from him and scrambled back away from the hanyou. He reached for the gun he carried on the inside of his left ankle. Pulling it out, he pulled back the hammer and raised it to the hanyou's forehead just as he was leaning down towards him, his hand poised to rip open the side of his face.

"Back the fuck up," Hakkaku snarled as he inched back towards the wall. Blood red eyes, and doggish grin greeted him, but the hanyou didn't move. "I swear to Moses, I'll blow your damn brains out if you don't back the fuck up!"

"Do what he said," Ayame stated breathlessly. She was now standing behind the hanyou, both of the guns he'd dropped pointing at the back of the hanyou's head. Hakkaku breathed a sigh of relief even as he cursed her for her stupidity. When she had the chance she should've run.

Searing pain tore through Hakkaku's wrist as Ayame screamed out in pain. He tried to find her. He tried to figure out what the hell had just happened, but the pain, the tearing, the stench of burning flesh pushed him down into a near state of delirium. Fire was charring through his veins even as what felt like acid was being poured over his hand. Just when he thought it couldn't get any worse, he found himself being lifted and tossed 20 feet. In what direction?—he didn't know. All he knew was the pain racing through his body and tearing at his wrist.

"How the hell did they get up here?" he heard someone ask as what sounded like a gang of feet pounded the floor towards him.

Someone else stepped over him, a green type of whip dangling from his hand it seemed. "Take them into the waiting room. They're going to tell us everything we need to know." Was that the tall lithe dog demon, Sessamo or something like that?

Hakkaku's eyes wouldn't focus, his ears seemed to be humming and his blood was damn near boiling. Someone not quite as tall and with red eyes peered down at him, before he caught the glimpse of a large fist closing in and then there was nothing but blackness and pain racing over the left side of his face.

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Simonkal of Inuy

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Oni brushed the hair away from the side of her face after pulling the rental car up to the sidewalk a few blocks down from the hospital. "You're not still mad at me are you?"

Kikyo continued to stare out the window at the droves of people going about their day. Their lives seemed so normal, so mundane that she wanted to cry when she thought of the type of life she lived. How different would it have been if she had told Inuyasha what was going on? If she had told him that before she got to know him, he was nothing more than a mark? He would have forgiven her, because he loved her. He would have saw to it that her marriage to Oni was dissolved. Would she have had his child by now? What would they have named him or her? Or would they have had more than one by now? Would they have purchased a home in the country near his Sesshomaru and Rin?

"Luscious, you do hear me talking to you, don't you?" Oni hissed, taking her chin in his hand and forcing her to look at him.

Her hand fisted in her lap on top of the white material of the nurse's uniform she wore. "Yes, of course, I hear you Oni," she told him mechanically as she tried to hide her disgust.

What had she ever seen in him? Kikyo tried to remember something good that they shared. Some memory that she could hold on to, but there was nothing. The more she tried the worse her head hurt. What she had no problem dredging up memories of was the rapes, the drugs, and the beatings.

"Good. Now hurry up and get in line with the other nurses. You'll draw less attention to yourself if you go in with everyone else."

"What if it doesn't work," she asked, glancing down at the badge he'd shown up with after his Dr. Marks fiasco.

"It's works." He laughed, patted her thigh and finished, "I made sure the owner of this particular badge will be out of commission for a few days."

Kikyo stared at him, unable to hide the revulsion she felt at him putting a woman out of commission. She turned away, clipped the badge to her lapel and started to open the door, but his voice stopped her.

"Do this right and we'll be out of here by the end of the week."

"This is about more than money, isn't it?" She pushed the door open.

Oni laughed and winked at her as he popped another one of his blue pills in his mouth. "Just do your part, Luscious. Let me worry about the why's and the how's."

She stepped back onto the curb and slammed the door as he pulled into traffic. She wasn't a crier—had never been one, but for some reason today, she felt as if she was were coming undone. The pain was in her soul and her heart. The distaste of what Oni had done to her over the course of their relationship—what she had allowed him to do was clogging her throat and weighing heavily on her tongue.

She felt downright filthy. She wanted out. She needed desperately to find a way out of this.

Glancing up and down the sidewalk the urge to run was almost like her need to breathe. She fisted one hand in the material of the uniform and was about to yank the badge off the lapel when she heard a voice from behind her.

"Ma'am, if you plan on coming to work today, let's go."

She turned and eyed the security guard in charge of securing the employee entrance. Kikyo stared up at the building. Inuyasha was in there somewhere with her, that Higurashi woman. Maybe if she could just get a glimpse of him, just one; it would give her the courage to do the right thing.

Her feet moved, before she could tell them not to. She handed her badge to the guard. He looked it over, stared at her, and then swiped it across and electronic pad. After a moment, he smiled at her and handed it back.

"Have a good one."

Taking it, Kikyo forced a smile and pushed through the heavy doors and into the hospital. The smell of cleaning products was strong as she trailed behind a group of nurses chattering away about their three-day weekend shenanigans. When she reached an empty office, she veered off. Finding a pen and pad, she jotted a quick note and slid it into her pocket.

He was in here somewhere; she could feel him, almost smell him. She needed to see him, to touch him more than she needed to breathe at the moment. Could he still love her? Was there even a modicum of hope for them? When he saw her, would he remember the good times they shared or would he remember only that she broke his heart? Would he believe her if she told him, she had never stopped loving him…wanting him…craving him?

_Inuyasha._

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Simonkal of Inuy

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Burning flesh. That was her last memory until Ayame opened her eyes to find four demons—one dog, a half dog, a bear, and a jaguar—staring down at her. She growled low and dropped her gaze from them. One of each of her legs were bound to each of the front legs of the chair and her wrist to the steel arm rests of the chair she was sitting in. _I'm a prisoner?_

"Who the hell are you?" the one who had attacked her asked.

He was Kagome's mate, she reminded herself. She ignored him and glanced around the tiny waiting room with walls painted a yellowish color that was supposed to be soothing but made her feel more like vomiting. Her eyes landed on a form slumped over beside her. A switched flipped then and she tried to jump toward Hakkaku. "What did you do to him? You, bastards! What did you do to him?"

The mongrel who had tried to choke the life out of her, stepped toward her, gripped her jaw in his hand and growled, "I asked you a fucking question."

She stared back at him defiantly. "And I asked you a fucking question."

He drew his hand back to hit her no doubt, but the tall demon stilled him. "Inuyasha, we don't hit women…if it can be avoided."

"Feh, this bitch ain't no fucking woman. If she was…"

"You can go straight to hell," Ayame interjected. "Untie me and you'll see just how much woman I am, you prick." She tugged at the ties, but found breaking them impossible. Was that even possible? What the hell were they bound with.

The tall dog demon stepped around the half demon. "How did you get in the hospital?"

"I'm not going to tell you anything until someone tells me what was done to Hakkaku."

The tall demon stared at her for a long moment as if he was debating on whether he should kill her now or later. It didn't scare her in the least. Hell, she was the daughter of the most corrupt demon in Asia and married to satan himself. So this little horse and pony show was a child's birthday party.

"You don't get to ask fucking question, bitch," Inuyasha hissed from his perch against the back wall. "Who the fuck are you and where's that bastard you've been letting fuck you regularly? He sent you here didn't he?"

Her face flushed with embarrassment, but she held her head high. Yes, she was stupid to believe Kouga was her mate. She could admit that now, but she would not be belittled and kicked because of it.

"Did you stand there and watch him attack my mate? Did you fucking help him?" Inuyasha accused. "I bet you even got a few punches in didn't you?" He stepped closer, his hands fisted at his sides, his hatred filled eyes trained on her. "Were you in on it? Did you help him kidnap her? I bet your worthless little ass was their cheering him on, weren't you?"

"Shut up!" Ayame could deal with being interrogated, but she would not be made to feel like she'd done something wrong when she was half of the reason Kagome was alive now. "Shut up the hell up!"

The hanyou was so close to her, she almost choked on the burst of air she inhaled. "I should skin you slowly and send you back to him in little tiny pieces."

"Stop." It was whispered so slow that Ayame almost missed it. She looked away from Inuyasha and toward a groggy Hakkaku. "Just stop," he said, his voice getting stronger by the second. "She doesn't know anything. She…she saved her."

"What?"said Inuyasha and Sesshomaru in unison.

"She saved her," Hakkaku said again, his head falling back. "You should be praising her instead of crucifying her."

Ayame realized all too quickly what he doing, or rather trying to do and she wasn't going to have any part of it. If they were going to get out of here alive, it would be together or not at all. "We saved her. We did it together."

The dog demons stared from her to Hakkaku and back before Inuyasha scoffed with derision, "And the sky is fucking purple."

"Sometimes it is, and we did save her, you jackass!" The more he talked down to her, the more Ayame found herself hating the half demon. Then again, she really couldn't blame him. Did she honestly think she could dance into Kagome's hospital room and nothing would happen? Yep, she sure did.

"Really, so where was she found?" the tall demon, whose name she didn't know asked.

"Hakkaku and I found her and Kouga at a cabin my family owns."

"You fucking liar," Inuyasha roared. "They said she was found on the side of a fucking road."

"When I took her to the emergency room, I told them that so they wouldn't ask any questions."

Inuyasha charged forward, buried his hand in her head and yanked backwards causing her to cry out in pain. "You knew what that fucker did to my mate and you're still protecting him? I should slit your fucking throat!"

The tall demon wasn't as quick to stop the hanyou this time, but eventually he did step up and pull him off of her. For that Ayame was grateful. "I…We didn't know," she mumbled looking at Hakkaku's prone form for help. "If we had gone to the authorities my whole family and Hakkaku would've gotten into trouble. I couldn't allow Kouga to bring us all down because of his sick obsession with _her._" She looked away from Inuyasha unable to stomach the pain of knowing she had never been what Kouga wanted. "We did what we thought was right for all interested parties, so fuck you if you think it wasn't good enough!"

"Fuck me?" Inuyasha repeated incredulously. "Fuck…me?"

"Yeah, fuck you. It's because of _her_ I don't have my husband anymore. It's because of _her_ my best-friend's husband, Dinshu, is dead. It's because of _her_ Hakkaku lost his twin brother." Tears were pouring from her eyes now. "It's because of _her_, Hakkaku was forced to shoot his best friend, my husband-Kouga, twice, and it's because of her that from the moment we went against Kouga to save her, our lives were forfeited. So yeah, fuck…you!" Where had the anger come from? Where had the pain gone? And why on earth was she trembling? She didn't regret saving Kagome, she didn't. But she did regret all the things she lost in the aftermath.

The tall demon stepped forward. "He shot the man that kidnapped Kagome? This Kouga person?"

"Yes. Hakkaku shot him twice. Once in the stomach and once in the chest, I think. We had to do it. If we didn't he would've killed her."

The tall demon stepped back and shoved his hands in his pockets. He stared down at her for a long breathless moment as if he didn't truly believe her before he asked, "So, he's dead?"

"N…no. I don't know where he's at, but he's not dead." She ran her cheek over her right shoulder and gnawed on her lower lip. "I wish he were dead. If he were…" She glanced at Hakkaku and finished with regret, "I just really wish he was dead."

They all either sat or stood in silence for a moment before the tall demon asked, "You said he had her at your families' cabin. Where exactly is this cabin located?"

Ayame looked up at him for a long moment before she sighed and gave him the address and directions. If it was proof they needed of a fight, then that was where they would find it. She didn't have anything to hide any longer. She just wanted out of here with Hakkaku. "What did you do to him?"

"He'll be fine," the tall demon responded as he pulled his cell phone from his pocket. "As long as he doesn't get another dose of my poison, it should wear off in an hour or two."

"Poison?" she tried to clarify. She looked closer at his face and realized for the first time that he was a rare breed of demon. The crescent moon labled him as a poison demon which was rare nowadays. She watched him turn and start out the room; the tips of his stark white hair kissing the floor; the phone to his ear as he gave orders to whoever was on the other end to get to the cabin and collect whatever evidence was there.

"Why did you come here?"

Ayame looked away from the closed door and towards the hanyou, who was leaning back against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest, his head down.

"She wanted to check on Baby Girl. I mean Kagome," Hakkaku whispered. He was apparently coming around, because his voice was growing stronger.

"Feh, she'll be fine. I don't need you or her, checking up on what's mine."

"I also wanted to apologize for…" Ayame trailed off, ashamed of her past treatment of the woman.

"Did you have anything to do with her getting kidnapped?"

"No, of course not. Had I known what he was planning, I would've shot him myself."

"Well, your apologies are not necessary." The hanyou pushed off the wall and moved towards the door. "Tell, the guard how you got into the hospital, and then you're both free to go. Don't…come back."

"He's going to come for her," Hakkaku whispered.

"I know, but this time he won't leave here a live," Inuyasha growled.

"No, you don't understand. He won't be alone. He's going to have two elemental demons with him. By the time you realize he's here, it'll already be too late." Hakkaku pushed himself up into a position that resembled sitting. "They can control the air it's self. One is made of darkness, the other has a heart of stone and the conscious of a shark." Hakkaku tried to push himself up straighter. "I saw the news report. I promise you, he saw it too. You have to move her. Get her to a smaller area; a place that can be easily protected. I know…"

"I can protect me mate," Inuyasha bit out, cutting him off.

"This is not about who can and can't protect her. This is about being smart while protecting her. I've seen these guys in action. I've worked alongside them. They're fast and deadly. Before you can blink, if Kouga requests it, you'll be dead."

"Listen to him," Ayame whispered. "Please, just listen."

"Why should I believe you? How do I know this isn't some sick fucking trick?" the hanyou asked. "You said you worked alongside these guys; why would you turn your backs on them now?"

Ayame knew the reason. She gripped Hakkaku's forearm as best she could as he spoke, "He killed me twin brother, Ginta. But long before that, I knew Kouga wasn't right in the head."

"Ginta?" the hanyou spoke as if he knew Ginta.

"Yeah."

Inuyasha looked between the two of them. He didn't seem to want to listen but appeared to change his mind at the last minute. "I'm sorry to hear about Ginta." He dragged a chair over, so that it was sitting in front of them. Straddling it, he motioned for the guard to release their restraints and said, sarcasm dripping from his voice, "So, what can you tell me that's going to help me protect what's mine?"

_**

* * *

**_

Simonkal of Inuy

* * *

_Beep_

The sea of darkness parted before her. She was swimming moving towards the sound; reaching for it.

_Beep_

A scent came to her first, pungent and heavy, woodsy and sterile.

_Beep_

The sound was growing, was she close? She had to be. One eye cracked slightly open and then the other. The light was blinding, so she closed them.

_Beep_

She heard a groan, had that come from her? Music, soft and soothing was mixed in with the mechanical beep sound and there was a hum, soft but annoying like a mosquito buzzing around her head. There was another groan. That one had definitely come from her. She practiced opening and closing her mouth, tried to taste her lips, but her tongue was as dry as sand paper.

_Beep_

"Wa…ter," she crocked, not sure if anyone was there to hear her. That woodsy scent swam over her again and her head was being tilted upward, something wet touched her lips. She gulped at it and almost choked, her throat nearly closing.

A strong wide hand pushed her up, patted her back and then laid her down. "There are a lot of people who have been waiting for you to open your eyes," a masculine voice with a foreign accent said. "I am honored that you would do so on my watch."

_Beep_

Kagome cracked her eyes open again, but the light was still blinding. She closed them, tried to lift her hand to cover them and realized she couldn't. She tried to move her other hand. It moved.

"Are the lights too bright for you?" The woodsy scent and the voice moved away. "There, how's that?"

She opened her eyes slowly. "Tha...anks." The first thing she noticed was the stark white walls, and then the beeping noise again. She rolled her eyes slowly to her right and left. Her head hurt too much to move her neck at the moment.

Machines, a million of them, surrounded her. Lines of varying colors displayed on their screens. She scanned the room slowly as she smacked her lips together, her eyes coming to a stop on the figure standing near the foot of her bed.

"Who?" Her throat closed and her head throbbed. "Wh…ere?" she forced it out.

The man smiled; his incisors sharp, his face not nearly as friendly as she thought it should be. He was big, his shoulders wide along a broad chest, his neck thick. But he was handsome in a burly kind of way. What the hell was she comparing him too?

"Relax, you're in a hospital," he told her as he rounded the bed towards her.

She tried to push back away from him, but she didn't have the strength. "Mom? Souta?"

He smiled down at her, light brown eyes sparkling against the dimness of the room. He grasped her hand and closed her fingers around a Styrofoam cup. "Sip on this while I get your doctor and call the boss."

"Boss?" She watched him go and then turned her attention back to the room.

Flowers were everywhere; tulips, orchids, roses, and everything in-between. There was a large window setting to her right, the blinds drawn and a chair right next to it, but close to her bed, a blanket and pillow resting in it. And a book—the Notebook. One of her favorite reads.

Had someone been sleeping there waiting for her to wake up? Who?

_Beep_

She shook her head, closed her eyes and tried to remember why she was in a hospital. The more she tried, the worst the headache became. The more every part of her body began to hurt.

First she saw blue heavenly eyes, dimples, and then a dark mane of hair. Her eyes snapped open. She stared at the door to the room, watched a dark haired nurse pass the window, her eyes trained on her.

_Beep, Beep_

Kagome looked away and down at the railing on the bed. She grabbed one with her good hand and pulled in hopes of sitting up. She didn't move an inch. Why in the hell was she so weak? Her mind swam, her breathing increased and she closed her eyes and looked away from the door.

A barrage of emotions and images assailed her: fright, pain, lethargy. She saw a large fist barreling towards her, felt what had to be knives digging into her shoulder and back and then the blue eyes came back. They leered down at her as words of hatred flew from his mouth: accusatory, threatening words, and a promise of death.

_Beep, Beep, Beep_

"No," she whispered. The pain in her body grew, quadrupled and magnified until she was clutching the railing of the bed, yanking herself up into a sitting position.

_You fucking bitch, _a harsh voice snarled in her head. _You let that mutt rut you?_The voice was filled with such hatred she felt she had to get away from it. She had to move or the owner would hurt her. Was he the reason she was here in this hospital? Could he be the reason? Nothing was making sense. Nothing but her need to run, to escape the feeling of dread that hung over her like deaths' hood.

The minute her feet hit the floor, she nearly crumpled to the floor but caught herself on the chair.

She heard it then, a million feet running… No, racing down the hall.

Kagome pushed up and staggered back as the face came again, hands tipped with claws striking down at her, causing her to flinch and cry out as she fell back into one of the machines. A hand was on her wrist, one around her waist pulling her forward.

She swung out with her good arm, wanting desperately to push the man with the blue eyes away. For a brief moment blue slipped to light brown and she was staring at the man who'd given her the water but just as quickly he faded and the man with the blue eyes came back, angrier and more violent than before. He raged at her, pounded on her body, driving her into a soft surface; pummeling her as if he were trying to kill her.

What had she done? Why? Who the hell was he?

A name came then, along with the pain the ache that exploded in her head and her body.

"Ko..Kouga, do…n't," she begged as she pushed away from a hard chest and fell to the ground. She scrambled back and around something cold and hard until her back was against a wall. Kagome pulled her knees to her chest, tears pouring from her eyes as the pain flared only to subside and flare again.

His arm drew back and came down in an arcing fashion and she screamed, huddled against the cold hard surface against her shoulder. "Don't... I'm sorry…I'm…" She brought her arms up to shield the blow, but it did no good. She felt every blow, every rake of his claws and every insult.

Faintly she heard a voice she didn't know say, "She's having a mental breakdown!" He sounded like he was miles away or talking through a tunnel filled with water. "Get Takahashi-sama!"

Who the hell was Takahashi-sama?

**Until Next Time**… (Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated.)

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Next Chapter: **Stormy Weather**

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Acknowledgments:

Lannamoo ~ Babo ~ ForgetmeLots ~ TooMuchDreams ~ Thea Sol ~ WinterBorn ~ MissieMae ~ BlackEcho33 ~ Sassybratt ~ Manni19 ~ Nekotaishou ~ ShippoizmaFox ~ Gidget989 ~ Serena122189 ~ Soraslove ~ Yune-chan ~ supdupsonic ~ Nicki-minaj's wife ~ SesshiesPersonalPriestess ~ Mars Ros ~ ximaDJx ~ Sore Ga Ais Deshou ~ HermosX3 ~ Joyouki ~ PunkLover ~ Kiaraj ~ KittyKritik ~ Child-of-Literature ~ Ki Ai Sky ~ Bzee10 ~ Jennaha11 ~ Nozome ~ Adamant Barage ~ Silverstarwing ~ The dreaming soul ~ mch2010 ~ xXKimiko SakakiXx ~ Mangx3 ~ vampire-fetish15 ~ Kagome2 aka me ~ ProtectTheRain ~ Palagi-at-magpakailanman ~ Irish Indy ~ Flygirlrosie ~ Litayoliechi ~ Chinochan-inulover ~ UshioOkazaki Say0mi Saki ~ Bakachild ~ Anniewanny2 ~ Inukaglover97 ~ hanmajoerin ~ Kinky-Hoe ~ LoVe23


	65. Stormy Weather

**A/N:** Sorry for the long delay, guys and gals, but I've been ridiculously busy with everything from homework, novel work on my upcoming book, my new book, and the family. Life is crazy! That aside, I'm going to make it my goal to finish this story within the next 90 days, which means more regular updates from me. I'm shooting for one chapter every one to two weeks or so—that's regular, right?

Anyway, my novel, _He Belongs to Me, _is now available online at Aspen Mountain press, Bookstrand, and All romance. PICK UP A COPY TODAY! Also, for those of you who haven't yet checked it out, please check out my blog at novelistwhogetsnolove(dot)blogspot(dot)com and become a registered member. I swear I've been updating it more and I've even been responding to comments. Or friend me at facebook (dot) com/nyarayne. That's enough plugging myself, don't you think? Now, onto the chapter; enjoy and don't forget to review!

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**Disclaimer: **You know who belongs to me, right? All others belong to Viz and Rumiko Takahashi.

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**Chapter 65:**

**Stormy Weather**

"What am I doing here?" Kagome eyed the two women closely, who entered her hospital room behind her mother and brother. "Who are they?" She nodded her head and asked the question in a low tone.

One woman was shorter than the other and one was younger—about her brother's age. They both looked familiar in an abstract way, but to save her life, she couldn't place exactly how she knew them. Then again nothing was making sense. Hadn't she just been on the floor fighting for her life with someone? Why was she now in a bed and why was the glow beyond the windows gone? It had been daylight only moments ago, hadn't it?

"Mom, what's going on? What happened to me?"

"Shush, sweetie." She brushed a few errant strands of hair from Kagome's face. "It's okay. I'm just happy you finally woke-up."

"No, no, it's not okay," Kagome blustered with an adamant shake of her head. She glanced at the glass doors leading to the hallway. Glimpses of her earlier waking dream funneled back to her. "Why is Kouga mad at me? Am I in here because of him? Did he do this to me?" A crash came from the direction of hall, followed by a loud growl and what seemed like a million hushed voices. Then an older man in a white coat walked in, followed by a tall demon with ridiculously long white hair. He was handsome and like the two women, looked familiar, but she couldn't place him. She was certain in any circumstance; he was definitely someone she would not easily forget. He stepped away from the doctor and slid behind the shorter, more mature, but beautiful woman.

Kagome couldn't tear her eyes away from him. She wanted to reach out to him, to ask him his name, to ask him to hold her hand until the world was right again. She could almost feel the pads of his fingers tracing the side of her face. But there was something about him, that wasn't quite right.

"Higurashi-sama, do you know where you are?" the doctor asked as he took her wrist in his hand and began tracking her pulse.

"Hospital," she responded softly, her eyes locked on the demon. His face was stoic as he stared back at her, unblinking. He slipped an arm around the woman in front of him and pulled her back against his chest. She went with it as if it were the natural thing to do.

"What city and country are we in?" the doctor clarified after a soft masculine chuckle.

"Ky…Kyoto, Japan?"

There was a soft gasp from several people in the room, but the doctor didn't stop his inquiry. "What year is it?"

The demon's head tilted ever-so-slightly to the right as if her answer was the secret to evolution. His face looked so familiar. The color of his skin, and hair—she'd seen it a million times before—in another life perhaps. His eyes... How many times had she stared back into them? How many? He…he was supposed to be her-

"Higurashi-sama, what year is it?" the doctor asked again, cutting into her thoughts.

She blinked, licked her lips and hugged herself as best she could with her one good arm. "Mom, who are they?" She nodded her head towards the demon and the woman. "Why are they here and where's Kouga?" A growl ripped through the hallway again and Kagome pushed herself up into a seated position. What was going on out there? Was she in a hospital or at the Vet?

"Who's out there?" she asked. There were so many questions and so little answers.

"Sweetie?" her mom cooed, in her patient, lets-not-talk-about-it-now voice.

The doctor cut in again. "What year is it, Higurashi-sama?"

Kagome glared at him. "2000…2000…2000…something." She shook her head. "I…I don't know. Why don't I know what year it is? What's wrong with me? Why can't I remember what year it is?"

Her mom started to speak, but the doctor sidled up closer to her bed and started checking her heart rate and pushing intermittently at her stomach. "It's normal, Kagome. May I call you, Kagome?"

"S…Sure." She glanced at the tall demon again, who was staring back at her curiously. There was almost…almost a smug look of…

_That can't be satisfaction._

"You've suffered head trauma in the area of your brain that preserves your memory. Unfortunately, your short term memory cortex has been damaged, but I don't see anything in your x-rays that says it's permanent."

"What are you talking about?" she could barely hear her own voice.

"You were attacked a few weeks ago," the doctor continued.

"What?" She looked around the room, but no one with the exception of the tall demon would meet her eyes. "What are you talking about?" Then again that did kind of explain why she was in a hospital with her head bandaged and one of her arms in a sling. But who the hell had she pissed off or was it random?

The glass door slid to the side and a slightly shorter version of the tall demon walked in, his head down, his fists clenched at his sides. "Leave her alone," he growled low as he positioned himself away from the others and in the far corner of the room, his arms crossed over his chest. He had an air about him that bespoke of such power and intensity, he was almost electrifying.

"We'll take it from here," her mother said softly as she stepped up to the bed. Kagome recognized quickly that she forced herself between her and the doctor. Why did she do that? Why didn't she just walk around to the other side of the bed?

The doctor backed away with a slight bow. "Very well; please call me if you need me." He left and the room fell dead silent with the exception of the beeps and ticks of the machines.

"What's going on? What happened to me?" She looked at each person in the room, but no one answered; they just stood there staring at her with pity in there gazes. Her eyes came to rest on him, the one in the corner. "What happened to me? Why am I here? Who did this?"

"Tell her." His voice broke and he looked away coyly.

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

Getting a nail through his foot when he was six hurt, the tree limb that was embedded in his thigh was mind numbing, the deaths of his parents tore at his insides, but having his mate forget who the hell he was-? Well, this…this was like being disemboweled very lowly while vultures gauged out his eyes and maggots made a home in the head of penis.

Yeah, this was so fucking painful there wasn't even an adjective he could use to describe how it felt, which left him in desperate need of something to break. No, that was too civil. He wanted to tear through something, destroy it, devour it, and then…and then just maybe, he'd be able to look at her.

Mrs. H. told started in her motherly way, "Sweetie, the year is 2010."

"What?"

"Just listen for now," she said softly, petting Kagome on the thigh as if she was a child. "Honey, you've been in a coma for the past three…three and a half weeks."

"No," Kagome whispered in disbelief. "That can't be…"

"Sis," Souta said, slipping around to the other side of the bed, "What's the last thing you remember?"

"I…I…I'm not sure. I keep seeing glimpses of things, but it's so choppy…"

"Then believe us," he said, leaving little room for debate. He pointed to each person in the room and introduced them, making sure to include the role they now played in her life. However, when he got to Inuyasha and was about to introduce him as her boyfriend, the hanyou stopped him, so he introduced him as her friend. She didn't look like she believed him, but she didn't refute him either.

"Souta, this doesn't make sense." She looked around the room, and then down at her bandages. "What happened to me?"

"You went out with Yuka to some club a few weeks ago. That's about all we're certain of. We're guessing that at some point Kouga showed up and kidnapped you?"

Inuyasha said a silent thankful prayer Souta had the where-with-all not to mention Yuka's murder. Of course, she would have to be told, but not until she was past 100%-health wise.

"What? No, he wouldn't. He wouldn't need to kidnap me," Kagome protested.

Inuyasha couldn't contain the growl that ripped up from the back of his throat. He dug his claws into the palms of his hands, hoping to still the ache tearing through his chest.

She stared at him for a pregnant moment before turning her attention back to her brother. "Why would he feel he had to do something like that? This doesn't make any sense, Souta!"

"Baby, you and Kouga haven't been in a relationship for over two years," her mom interjected. "When your relationship ended, it wasn't on the best of terms."

"What? Why? How?" Her eyes brightened as if she'd retrieved a memory before her face dimmed again and she was staring at Inuyasha. She looked away from him and back at her brother and mother. "Wasn't on the best of terms? Did he break up with me? Did I do something wrong to him? I…I need to talk to him! Where is he?"

Inuyasha wanted to stomp over to her and shake the living shit out of her. How dare she fucking forget him? He'd sat with her, held her hand and even stooped as low as praying for her to regain consciousness, and the minute she does, she forgets him and instead calls out for that bastard?

"Feh," he grumbled and turned to leave.

"Inuyasha," Rin said, grasping his bicep as he passed her by. "Don't leave."

"And stay here for this shit?" He glanced back at Kagome, who was staring at him in confusion. He turned back to Rin. "I've got to go keep her safe while she pines for that prick." He pushed past her, jerking out of her grasp.

Did she really expect him to stand there and suffer through this bullshit? Nah, she wasn't that dumb. At least, the Kagome he loved wasn't.

"Even if she doesn't remember you or us, we still need to be here for her."

He felt Kagome's eyes on him, tracking his every move and damn if he didn't want to stay with her, but there hadn't been an ounce of recognition in her eyes when she looked at him. "I don't give a shit if she remembers you or not. She doesn't remember me," he hissed. It was selfish, maybe even a little disrespectful but damn it, those were his feelings. "I'm her fucking ma… I'm her boyfriend, damn it. Me, not the son of bitch she's asking for." He tried to keep his voice low, but was certain the entire room heard him loud and clear. He didn't care.

Inuyasha growled low, his fist clenched and released, and he forced himself to move around Rin. "Since she's awake now, it should make it much easier to move her," he said to Sesshomaru. "I'm going to finalize the arrangements."

"Inuyasha?" He turned to Mrs. H. She sat with Kagome's hand grasp in hers, her eyes pleading with him for patience he didn't have. He turned away without a word and left the room.

Stepping into the hall, he moved up against the nearest wall and pushed against it as if it would hold him up. He wanted to disappear, to time travel back to when things were nearly perfect between them. He wanted to go back to any moment—good or bad—where she remembered him, where she loved him, and where she needed him.

He buried his face in his hands and sighed heavily.

How the hell was he going to get past this?

How the hell were they going to get past this?

Was it even possible?

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

"Why is he mad at me?"

Several hours had passed, nurses and doctors alike had come and gone, and even a woman named Sango and her fiancé, who she supposedly knew had stopped by. But still the golden, eyed, brooding hanyou hadn't spoken a word more to her. Though, he did glare at her whenever, he came to the room to whisper in the taller demon's ear.

Like now.

"He's not mad at you," Souta said, watching the retreating back of the hanyou as he followed the taller demon, Sesshomaru, and his mate out the door. "He's hurt, I think. And he's been really worried about you."

"Why? Did I do something to him?" The look in her brother's eyes said she was missing something important, but the harder she tried to work through it, the more her head hurt.

What she did understand so far was that not only were her and Kouga not together, they were now full-fledged enemies—he trying to kill her for whatever the reason. She was also a partner in a law firm here in Tokyo and had actually relocated here just over a year ago. She also owned a dog named, Ashton, who her mother was off retrieving from some doggy-sitter. The plan was to sneak him into the hospital in hopes that he would jog her memory. Bits and pieces of that made sense, but the rest…

"Don't worry about it, Sis."

She stared at the door. "How can I not, Souta? He…I should know him, shouldn't I?"

"You should, but for now just worry about getting better." He brushed strands of hair back from her cheek. "You're going to have more than enough time to figure everything out later."

The words slipped past her lips before she could stop them, "He's more than a family friend, isn't he?" It was a nagging feeling, almost like a gnat buzzing around her head.

Souta couldn't meet her eyes as he re-tucked the sheets around her and fluffed pillows that didn't need to be fluffed. "Relax, Sis. It's all going to work out in the end."

"What's the big secret? Is he my boyfriend? My husband, Souta? Did I forget my husband? Is he my husband? Oh god, are we married?" She didn't want to believe that she'd forget someone so important to her, but she had forgotten the last two years of her life. And he, Inuyasha, seemed too familiar to her. It was as if they shared a deeper bond, one that would in the end transcend time and space. But if that were true, why wouldn't anyone tell her the truth about who he was to her?

The beep of the heart machine became louder and faster as it pulsed in tune with her heart beat. There was nothing she could do to stop it. There was so much she didn't know, and so much she knew she should've known. The doctor had said that with time, her memory would return, but how much time would that really take?

"Kagome, you have to calm down," Souta was saying as he pushed against her shoulders, forcing her to lie back down. "Calm down, Sis, or they're going to drug you up again."

She was hyperventilating. Her lungs weren't catching enough air, her pulse was racing and her head was spinning even as a painful thunderous thud started in the back of her head and spread outward.

The room was suddenly alive with people as buzzers and various other machines started issuing urgent sounds. People were surrounding her bed, someone pushed a clear plastic mask over her face, covering her nose and mouth, someone else was holding up a syringe preparing to shove it in the clear tube holding the liquid that was dripping into her arm.

Her chest hurt, and her lungs were burning as she stared at them with a mixture of fright and desperation. Fright because she didn't want to wake up 24 hours later and still not remember anything and desperation because she knew whatever was in the syringe was sure to take away not only her pain, but her confusion.

The sound came from the back of the room, near the door. It was a roar, or a growl, something…a sound that was more animal than man, and then the hanyou, Inuyasha, was there. His chest was heaving, his nostrils flaring as he shoved the doctor with the syringe away, but he was a second too late. The medicine was already sliding into her veins, lining her world in a fine blanket of darkness.

Strong arms surrounded, at least that's what she believed them to be.

"Let me go," she whispered as she tried to struggle pathetically against his hold. She didn't want to get away from him necessarily, she just wanted to sleep and wake in a world that made a modicum of sense.

"Never," she heard him hiss in her ear with authority. She felt the brush of something across her right temple, and then there was nothing but darkness and an echo of his one and only word to her, never.

And it felt right. His voice, his arms, and his lips against her temple; it all felt so right. But why?

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

"What the hell happened?" Inuyasha turned to face Souta and the rest of the room after laying Kagome back on the bed and covering her up.

No one spoke; they all just stared at him as if he were speaking Latin. He stood, blocking Kagome from the nurses and doctors, silently daring them to challenge him.

"Takahashi-sama, I know she is important to you, but…"

"Important?" Inuyasha roared, "Doesn't begin to explain it." He stepped towards the doctor, but Sesshomaru forced his way between them.

"Thank you," he said quickly to the doctors and nurses, "We'll take it from here."

"We have to keep her under surveillance. Her mental state is still too fragile," the doctor protested, refusing to be removed from the room.

"What the hell are you going to do that we can't get another…more trustworthy doctor to do?" Inuyasha glared at the man and nodded towards the now empty syringe. "Oh, yeah, shoot her up with that shit."

The doctor looked almost guilty. "It's only a sedative. We can't risk her getting out of control. Surely, you understand that."

"What I understand is that my girlfriend lost the last two years of her life! What I understand is that the woman I love, doesn't fucking remember the life we shared! And you, with your damn college degrees can't tell me a damn thing about when, why, or how she'll get her memories back."

"We've done all we can, Takahashi-sama. It's a waiting game now."

"So, you keep saying," he snapped as he turned away and stared down at Kagome's serene face.

Behind him, Sesshomaru lead the doctor and his team of nurses to the door. He could hear clearly what was being said, but acted as if he couldn't. What concerned him now, was how long she'd be out this time.

If he never watched her sleep again, it would be too soon.

Granted, she didn't remember him, but there was something about the way she looked at him when he made up a reason to step back into the room throughout the day to speak with Souta or Sesshomaru. It was as if she wanted to remember him, speak to him, and ask him questions. It was like a part of her wanted desperately to reach for him. But now with her back in that dark place, locked away in the back of her mind, he had no way of reaching her.

_Damn them!_

When Sesshomaru stepped back into the room, Souta close on his heels, Inuyasha turned to him. "I want to move her tonight. These fuckers… All they're interested in doing is keeping her like this." He waved his hand in Kagome's direction. "This can't be healthy."

"I don't remember you ever attending medical school, Inuyasha. Perhaps, you should try to listen to the doctors. Let them do what we're paying them to do." Sesshomaru leaned back against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest.

"I want her moved tonight," the hanyou bit out again. "And I want a different damn doctor for her."

"Drowned at birth, you should've been." Sesshomaru sighed heavily, his patience were wearing thin. "I suppose now is as good of a time as any." He pushed off the wall and left the room in his casual disinterested manner and Inuyasha turned his attention to Souta.

"What were the two of you talking about when everything went to hell?"

"You. She wanted to know why you were mad at her and what you were to her," Souta replied.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I told her you were just her friend, but she didn't believe me." Souta pushed at his hair. "Why don't you want her to know you're her boyfriend, Inuyasha? I think if she knew it would help her along some." He scratched at the back of his head. "She'd probably stop asking about Kouga."

Inuyasha turned back to Kagome. "I don't know." He shrugged. "I just…I just don't feel like it's something she should be told. She should instinctively know who I am. If the table was reversed, I would know her. I would…I will always know her. A…a million years from now, I will still know her." He growled low. "Sh…She should know me, damn it."

There was a moment of silence before Souta spoke again. "Nola told me a few days ago that if I was in a sea of people, and she was blind, deaf, dumb, and her mind battered until she didn't know whom she was, she would still know me…still gravitate towards me." He moved a little closer to Inuyasha. "She said, she would do those things because I'm a part of her. I'm her mate."

"Are you?"

"Yeah, I am. I accepted that a while ago," Souta responded, sounding like a man twice his age. "But I couldn't have done that, if she hadn't told me. If she hadn't explained how this mating thing worked."

The silence came back and it stretched into a long interval of discomfort.

Souta cleared his throat and asked quietly, "Inuyasha, is…is my sister your mate?"

**Until Next Time… (Thanks for your time and patience. Your .02 cents are appreciated!)**

* * *

_**Acknowledgments**_

_Evelynvm29 ~ E-Dantes ~ oxHeartoxBreakerox ~ TheKnightXXX ~ 3lue 3utterfly ~ roca24 ~ Moons Little Wolf Blossom44 ~ BlackEcho33 ~ SilverStarWing ~ InuKagLover97 ~ Mars Butterfly ~ Asian Delicacy ~ The Dreaming Soul ~ Irish Indy ~ Saikoubi-Megami ~ Silver Awakening ~ MissieMae ~ Hanmajoerin ~ Anniewanny2 ~ Midnight Blackbird ~ LoVe23 ~ Brownieluver23 ~ Supadupasonic ~ xXKimiko SakakiXx ~ Nozome ~ ForgetmeLots ~ user data missing ~ InuGoddess715 ~ Kagome2 a.k.a me ~ Say0mi Saki ~ palagi-at-magpakailanman ~ Joyouki ~ Kinky-Hoe ~ Lish222 ~ Kagome141414 ~ Jewfish ~ PunkLover ~ DarkPrincesess-Adidas ~ Black4rose13 ~ Lannamoo ~ Flygirlrosie ~ Lilyx13 ~ nicki-minaj's wife ~ pixiepuff101 ~ mch2010 ~ _


	66. Convergence

**A/N**: Quicker update, right? (lol) Anyway, thanks for your patience and please enjoy to the fullest. Also, if you haven't bought my novel, please do. It's priced between $6 and $7, and can be found at Aspen Mountain Press, Bookstrand, and Amazon.

**Please excuse any typos!**

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I do not claim ownership to anyone with the exception of those that weren't created by Rumiko Takahashi.

* * *

**Chapter 66**

**Convergence**

"We're going to move her within the hour," Inuyasha told Souta.

The boy stood from the seat he'd taken beside his sister's bed two hours earlier, and stretched his arms high over his head. "That soon, huh?"

"It's for the best," Inuyasha responded brusquely. "It's been almost too quiet over the past couple of weeks, and I'm starting to get a bad feeling—like this is the calm before the storm or something."

"Dogs do have that innate ability, don't they?"

"What…what the hell are you trying to say, Runt?"

Souta threw his hands up in mock surrender. "I'm just saying that usually before a storm, dogs tend to get a little antsy is all. And you, Inuyasha, have been wearing holes in the tiles."

Inuyasha snarled at the teenager, who was trying to look innocent but failing miserably. "You ever been thrown out a window?"

"Oi, you can't threaten the life of your mate's only brother. She might not like it." Inuyasha hadn't admitted that Kagome was his mate to the boy, but Souta had taken it upon himself to chide Inuyasha about it whenever they were alone.

Inuyasha had to admit, he really liked how it sounded on someone else's lips, but hell would freeze over before he admitted it. "Feh, she barely remembers you. So she won't miss you for long." He chuckled.

Souta sobered and moved to the small sink in the far corner of the room. "I guess I shouldn't ask where we're taking her, huh?" He turned on the tap and splashed water on his face and neck.

"No, you shouldn't. You'll find out when we get there."

"Does Mom know?" he asked, grabbing a towel and blotting his face dry.

Inuyasha shook his head. "If what that wolf bitch and bastard said was true, the less people who know, the better off we'll be." He turned fully to Souta. "If it were up to me, you wouldn't be going either, but your sister needs someone around that she's familiar with."

The glass door slid open and Inuyasha turned as a bleached blonde nurse walked in. "Takahasi-sama, this was left at the front desk for you."

"Who dropped it off?" He took the plain white envelope from her.

"We don't know. A nurse found it lying on the desk and gave it to me to bring up to you."

Inuyasha flipped it right side up and vice versa. He held it up to the light trying to see through it. "Thanks," he told her dismissively as he brought the envelope to his nose and sniffed it. He scowled at the object as if offended. _That can't be right. _He sniffed it again and took a small step back.

"What is it?" Souta stepped up to him.

"Shouldn't you be doing your make-up homework or something," Inuyasha snapped as he turned and walked out the door and into the hallway, ripping the envelope open as he went. Whatever Souta said as a comeback was lost on him as he read the words printed on the page.

_I need to see you. Meet me in the storage room at the end of the hallway on the 7__th__ floor._

Before he could stop them, his feet were moving, racing for the doors that led to the stairs. There was no signature at the bottom of the note, but her scent was all over it.

_Kikyo, _he mused_. _

Inuyasha cleared the first set of stairs in three jumps and the second and third set in two jumps a piece. Settling on the landing, he pulled the door open to the seventh floor and walked into chaos compared to how quiet Kagome's floor was.

He scanned the crowd of nurses, doctors and patients, some of who had been forced to move from the floor where Kagome was being housed. He looked desperately for that one face, her face, a part of him needing to see her to make all of this real.

Inuyasha moved through the patients and medical staff and toward the brown door at the end of the hallway that was labeled storage room.

His heart pulsed in his chest as he neared the door, his body tensing painfully. He glanced around him once, twice, and a third time before he reached for the handle and pulled the door open. Inuyasha stepped into darkness and a room that was vacant with the exception of boxes, brooms, mops, and cleaning utensils.

He didn't bother to look for a light switch, she wasn't there and hadn't been there, the absence of her scent told him that much. In that instance he didn't know why he'd even been so excited that there was a possibility she was there in the hospital.

Inuyasha crumpled the note in his fist.

How fucking stupid was he?

What had he expected?

What the hell was he doing here?

He turned to leave, but stopped as the door opened before him. Kikyo stepped forward, her head down, her hair pulled back in a bun at the nape of her neck. She was wearing a nurses uniform, that fit her snuggly. It hugged her hips and flat stomach, and pushed her breasts up so that it was hard to ignore them.

"Inuyasha," she whispered as she pulled the door closed behind her and locked it. "I didn't think you would show."

He could only stare at her in amazement. She was still as stunning as she was when she broke his heart. Her eyes bright and her smile tentative, but there was something off about her scent and she seemed tired and worn out.

"I…I won't keep you long," she told him. She stared at him for a long moment as if taking him in, or rather reliving old memories of them. She looked down and away from him, before looking back up. "I've missed you." She stepped towards him slowly. "Not a day has passed, Inuyasha that I haven't thought about you." Her palms settled flat against his chest. "I was a fool to have walked out on you. It was my greatest mistake." Her hands fisted in his shirt and her forehead settled against the center of his chest.

"Kik…Kikyo?" Inuyasha's arms moved stiffly, encircling her, pulling her closer. He inhaled deeply taking her scent into his mind once more and the part of him that he'd been trying to ignore from the moment he smelled her scent on the note sat up, snarling and growling. He stepped back, holding her at arm's length. "What do you want?"

She looked up at him, her eyes begging him to hold her just a little bit longer.

Inuyasha released her. "What do you want, Kikyo?" he asked again after fortifying his resolve.

She snorted. "If I said, forgiveness would you be able to find any? If I said, you, would it be possible? If I said a second chance would one be available?" A tear trailed down her cheek. Her heart was breaking—it appeared—in the same manner that his had at one time.

He stepped closer to her, and brushed his hand down her cheek. "When you left me, Kikyo, you destroyed me. I was like the walking dead. Not once did you even call to check on me or to tell me you were still breathing. You were just gone and I never existed to you." The anger came then and he stepped back from her, fisting his hands at his sides. "I dreamed of you every night. I dreamed of how you left me every fucking night…every night, Kikyo—for almost a year. Do have any clue as to how fucked up that is? To dream of the one person you thought your soul belonged to? The one person that had the power to destroy you? The one fucking person that didn't want you?"

"Inuyasha, I…" She shook her head, more tears coming to her eyes.

"What, Kikyo, you're sorry?" He scoffed derisively. "If you could leave me differently, you would? You what, you want to make it right?" He shrugged his shoulders, a knot of pain once buried deep in his chest releasing slowly, freeing him from her and their past together.

"I never meant to hurt you, but there wasn't any other way. Since the day I left you, I've regretted it. Please, Inuyasha…"

"Save it. It doesn't matter anymore, because I no longer dream of you, Kikyo. I barely even think of you. So no, there are no second chances here and there's no me left for you. It, Kikyo…all of me…belongs to someone else. But maybe in a few more months, maybe a year, I'll have an ounce of forgiveness for you."

He could tell she was trying to smile through the pain his words were causing, but she was failing pathetically.

"So tell me, Kikyo. What do you want? Why are you here? You couldn't have thought that I would see you and forget that you ripped my heart out of my fucking chest and that my _mate_…" he stressed the last word, "…was lying a few floors above us fighting for her life. Tell me you weren't that stupid, that arrogant, or that self-centered, Kikyo?"

She looked away from him, tears swimming in her eyes. She wiped at them, sniffled and stilled her resolve. "I guess it was just wishful thinking, Inuyasha." She wiped at her eyes again with the back of her hand and put a little more distance between them. "I came to explain why I did what I did to you and to warn you that he's not done with you yet. For whatever the reason, he hates you. He's hated you long before he ever made you a mark. He's hated you longer than I've even known him."

"A mark? He? He who? What are you talking about?"

"Onigumo, my…my husband," she whispered.

It was a sucker punch to the gut, a blind right jab to his jaw, and a direct hit to bridge of his nose. He staggered back away from her, his hands coming up to push at the air as if it could make her go away as his mouth tried but failed to find a damn thing worthwhile to say to her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want you to find out like this, but I couldn't let him hurt you again. He's crazy, Inuyasha. He acts as if it's about money, but it's not. He wants to hurt you badly."

"You're married? After you ripped my fucking heart out you went and got fucking married to someone else?"

"No…no, it wasn't like that." She looked away from him. "I was married to him before I met you?"

He shook his head. "You bitch. You…bitch." He blinked a few times and exhaled heavily.

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha, I wasn't supposed to fall in love with you. I was just supposed to…to rip you off. But I messed up. I did everything I wasn't supposed to do."

"Bullshit." He stared at her in disbelief for a long moment before he trusted himself to speak again. "Begin from the beginning. Tell me everything, Kikyo. If I think for one second that you're holding something back, I swear to god..."

"There is no need for threats, Inuyasha, I'll tell you everything. But when I do, I won't have a home to go back to. I want have a life anymore." She intertwined her fingers before her as she bit down her bottom lip in trepidation.

"You need my help to start over somewhere else. Is that what you're finding it so hard to say?"

She nodded once. "I wouldn't ask you if I had a choice, but once he finds out what I've done, there won't be any place for me to hide from him. He'll kill you and then he'll come after me or vice versa. One way or the other, I'm dead."

_This day just keeps getting better. _Inuyasha ran his hand down his face in exasperation. "Tell me what you know and then we'll talk."

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

"What have we got?"

"Nothing new. The place is locked up like a Maximum Security Prison."

"Is that supposed to be mean the two of you can't get in?" Kouga stared from Maki to Moki a look of incredulity on his face.

The twins exchanged looks before the eldest spoke. "Of course, _we_ can get in, but the chances of you getting in are slim. If you get passed the first set of guards, there isn't a chance in hell that you will make it past the second set."

"Don't worry about me," Kouga snarled, gripping his chest as pain lanced through him from where one of the bullets had pierced his flesh. He settled down in the overstuffed chair and swallowed three pain pills. He stared out of the hotel window and was barely able to contain his growl.

Because of her, that Kagome bitch, and Ayame, his lovely mate, he was now the most wanted demon on the damn continent. Sure, slipping out of Kyoto was easy enough, but getting out of the country altogether was going to take some doing. He stared at his new reflection in the mirror, taking in the green contacts he wore and the short spikiness of his now cropped hair. He hated pretending to be someone he wasn't, but until he was able to do away with the witnesses to his weakness, he didn't have a choice.

Adjusting the silver wire framed glasses on the bridge of his nose, he ordered, "I want them dead. All of them. Start with that bitch, Ayame and Hakkaku and we'll finish with Kagome and the son of a bitch she let rut her." He fanned his hand angrily. "That half-breed mutt."

"We have yet to locate your wife and Hakkaku," Maki said, "However, I know that they have met with the dog demons. It is believed that they are now conspiring with the enemy in the protection of the woman, Higurashi."

"I'm surrounded by fucking traitors," he growled, grabbing the vase off the nearest table and sending it flying into the furthest wall. "They didn't fucking vanish, damn it! If your Intel is correct and they're conspiring against me with those pricks, then chances are they're still in town. Find them and fucking kill them!" he roared, "I want Hakkaku's head and I want Ayame's tits do you understand me? I want both of them fucking dead!"

Maki stared at the fragments of broken glass. "If you hope to remain incognito, perhaps you should try controlling your temper."

Kouga snarled at the demon, who stood before him as blasé as if they were simply planning a family vacation. "Did I ask for your opinion?"

"You didn't have to. You were in dire need of it?"

Kouga took a threatening step towards Maki and the darkness within the room swam up, surrounding him and warning him off. He stopped, his nostrils flaring as he looked around the room, knowing that Moki controlled the darkness in the manner a butcher controlled a meat cleaver.

"I'm paying you two to do a job, do it."

Maki and Moki nodded simultaneously and turned to the window as the darkness moving with them. "As you wish. I'll be in touch with any new developments," Maki said, and then they were gone.

Kouga turned back to his reflection and snarled again, hating what he was seeing but knowing there was no going back.

He knew before he got to the other side of this—whatever this was—he would have to kill more than a few people. Then when he was done, he'd start over in America, with a new woman at his side; one that knew how to be loyal.

"But first," he whispered, standing to his feet. He stepped over and peered out at the Tokyo skyline and the hospital looming in the distance. "I have a few mongrels to euthanize inhumanely."

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

"Where is Inuyasha?"

Souta looked at his sister, hope in his eyes as he checked his watch and said, "Don't know. Do you remember him now?"

"No…no." She shook her head and pushed up with her good arm, swinging her legs down off the bed. "But I had a dream about him. In it he kept calling me a wench."

Souta chuckled and settled down on the chair in front of her bed. "If I remember correctly, it's kind of a pet name he used for you."

"Pet name?"

"Yeah. You know like baby, sweetie, honey? You can't have forgotten that?"

"Of course, I remember what a pet name is, you jerk, but if he and I are just friends why would he need one for me? And when did you become such a smart ass?"

Souta chuckled, a proud grin on his face. "I knew you were in there somewhere, Sis."

"You're a real idiot, you know that?" Kagome blushed and looked away as she slid the rest of the way off the bed. "Souta," she said turning back to him, "Aren't you missing a lot of days from school?"

"Why is everybody worried about my schooling?" he growled. "I'm at the head of my class with less than a month to go before graduation. "I'm cool."

"Less than a month?" Kagome took a few steps toward the bathroom and stopped. "You're a senior? Souta, I don't like this. I don't like not remembering stuff."

"If you don't like it, how the hell do you think we feel about it?" He chuckled softly, but the seriousness of his statement wasn't lost on her.

"What am I not remembering, Souta?"

He shook his head and pushed to his feet. Covering the distance to his sister, her slipped his arm around her waist and guided her the rest of the way to the bathroom. "Well, you forgot your move to Tokyo. You were really excited about it. You forgot about being appointed as a partner at the uppity law firm you work at. If I remember correctly and I do, in addition to a real nice luncheon in your honor, they had a banquet to at the Parsonian."

"What's Parsonian?"

"Only the most extravagant hotel on the face of the planet. Anyway, they flew mom in for that and there was even a special guest singer—some chick from Great Britain or was it Canada? And it was all in my big sis' honor."

As he let her slip from his arms and into the bathroom, she asked, "What else did I miss?"

He partially pulled the door closed and stood on the other side waiting as she relieved her bladder. "Well, I'm not sure, really. But more recently, you and Inuyasha went to Hawaii."

* * *

_**Simonkal of Inuy**_

* * *

_Hawaii, _Kagome thought as she flushed the toilet and turned to wash her one good hand. _I went to Hawaii and I don't remember it? Well, that just doesn't seem right. _She shut the water off and began drying her hand on a towel when the first image came to her: Blue nearly green water, swaying trees, the smell of pineapples and sugar, and smooth tanned skin, hard muscles, a set of abs one could wash clothing on and tears, her tears.

"Souta, why did I go to Hawaii with him?" she called as she moved for the door, but staggered and fell into it instead. The door swung open against her slight weight and she knew she was falling, but the floor never met her. Instead she found herself looking up into eyes that were as gold as the sun was hot. "Inuyasha?"

He lifted her into his arms and cradled her against his chest as he turned toward the bed. "You need to stay off your feet as much as possible," his voice was soft and his eyes filled with pain.

"Where's Souta?"

"He went downstairs to get Ashton from your mom," he told her as he settled her down on the bed.

Kagome watched him closely as he turned and went to one of the draws in the nondescript dresser. There was something too familiar about him: the way he moved, the manner in which he wore his clothes, the scowl that was prominent on his handsome face when someone said something he thought was stupid, and most of all the way in which he touched her. It was possessive as if he had a right to touch her, but yet it was still so gentle.

He came back, dropping two folded pieces of clothing on the bed next to her. He reached around her shifting her hair to the side and made quick work of unsnapping her gown.

"Hey, what… You can't…" Kagome blustered as she grabbed the pieces of her gown and held them together.

He paused and looked down at her, a mask of confusion on his face, before a look of exasperation passed over it. "Feh. Fine." He stepped back away from the bed and her. "Can you do this on your own, or do you need a nurse?" He waved a hand at the clothes dismissively, his distaste at her stopping him not hidden as well as he probably thought it was.

Or maybe he wasn't trying to hide it at all.

There was something wrong between them. She could see it in his face, and in his stance. It was as if seeing her undress was nothing new. That couldn't be right, could it?

"Inu…Inuyasha?"

"What?" he snapped, turning to face her.

She flinched and leaned back away from him. His face softened immediately and he sighed as he ran his hand down his face. "I'm sorry, Kagome, I didn't mean to lash out at you. I've just had one hell of a…" He looked away and back. "Month. Do you need me to get a nurse to help you? Security will be here to move you in fifteen minutes."

She searched his face and knew without a shadow of a doubt that she'd looked at him a hundred times before: his kissable lips, thick lush lashes and brows, the sensuous curve of his chin, and his strong jaw line. If she touched him, his skin would be firm and smooth, his body lean but muscled. She knew this without being sure exactly how she knew it.

Kagome slipped from the bed, her legs just a little shaky but strong enough to hold her.

Inuyasha stepped to her. "You should be sitting-"

She cut him off as she raised her hand to his cheek, the tips of her fingers running smoothly down it. Her thumb ran the length of his lower lip as her eyes took in every dimple and groove. "Are these because of me?"

"What?" He brought his fingers to the area she was touching.

"These worry lines here."

He chuckled softly and leaned into her touch. "I would bet my entire bank account that they were."

She smiled back and let her hand drop away from him. "Are you more than just a family friend, Inuyasha?"

"Am I?" he retorted, stepping closer to her. He trailed the back of his hand down her neck to her clavicle.

Her womb trembled and a sensual part of her womanhood throbbed. "I feel like I know you intimately," she told him.

"Do you?"

She leaned into his touch helplessly. "Why are you answering my questions with a question? Are we more than just friends, Inuyasha? I asked Souta, but he won't tell me anything."

He stared at her for a long moment before he leaned down, his lips brushing briefly over the corner of her mouth before he whispered something in her ear.

What it was, she hadn't a clue, because sirens began to wail, lights began flashing, and the hall was immediately filled with shouts and screams as big burly men waving guns rushed into her room.

**Until next time**…(Your .02 cents are greatly appreciated.)

* * *

_**Acknowledgements:**_

Anniewanny2 ~ ~ Flygirlrosie ~ Joyouki ~ 3lue_3utterfly ~ RubyJeweler ~ Say0mi_Saki ~ xXKimiko_SakakiXx ~ kiaraj ~ Lish222 ~ Irish Indy ~ Nozome ~ Mangx3 ~ Mch2010 ~ Litayoliechi ~ Lannamoo ~ Palagi-at-magpakailanman ~ PunkLover ~ Jewfish ~ The Dreaming Soul ~ Kinky-Hoe ~ BlackEcho33 ~ Hanmajoerin ~ SesshiesPersonalPriestess ~ E-Dantes ~ Pia-san ~ Nicki-minaj's wife ~ Justheretoreadleavemealone ~ bambii46 ~ Ebjeebies ~ NiceStories ~ Moonlight Amaya ~ Roca24 ~ Ki_Ai_Sky ~ Inukaglover97


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